Less than 24 hours after replacing the retired Urban Meyer as Ohio State’s head coach, Ryan Day wasted no time in making his first hire. The Buckeyes made an official announcement Wednesday night that Mike Yurcich, former Oklahoma State coordinator of offense, had been hired as the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator by the football program.

Yurcich Success

During the press release, Coach Ryan intimated how excited he was to reveal that Mike was joining the Ohio State coaching staff. He alluded to the fact that not only was it a case of an Ohio native coming back home but also mentioned the extreme talent of the new acquisition who had enjoyed tremendous success throughout his coaching career. Coach Ryan noted that the Oklahoma State offenses, under Mike Yurcich, have been one of the most efficient in college football and expressed his eagerness to finally welcome Mike Yurcich QB coach and introduce him to his staff, players, family, and the entire community.

The first rumor that Day was interested in signing Yurcich was reported last month, an Ohio State release, and it seemed like a foregone conclusion that he would be coming to the city of Columbus on Dec 28th. On New Year’s Day, prior to the Rose Bowl where the Buckeyes were facing the Washington Huskies, Austin Ward from Letterman Row reported that Mike Yurcich would, without a doubt, be the acquisition after hearing from a number of sources.

Hot Prospect

Yurcich became one of the hottest names on the coaching hunt in the offseason. This was after announcing that he would not be returning for the next year’s program following the Oklahoma State’s bowl triumph over Missouri. Word on the street was that the Buckeyes, as well as Tennessee, were interested in interested in acquiring the vital services of the experienced offensive coordinator. The reports also indicated that the Volunteers were open to paying Yurcich an annual salary of up to $1 million, which was, however, turned down.

The New Contract

In the deal, Mike Yurcich signed a two-year contract worth $950,000 a year. This is a $150,000 dollar raise on his salary in Oklahoma State, where he made $800,000 in his final year. His deal with the Cowboys included a $400,000 buyout if he departed Oklahoma State for a non-collegiate or non-NFL head coach position.

The path to one of the top-rated jobs in college football was not the normal one for Mike Yurcich. A native of Ohio, Yurcich was a graduate assistant from 2003 to 2004 under the leadership of coach Gerry DiNardo in Indiana. He took his first full-time assignment with second Division program, Edinboro. At first, he was the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach before taking up the offensive coordinator title in 2006. Yurcich stayed in Pennsylvania till 2011 when he moved to Division II program in Shippensburg, to become the offensive coordinator. He remained there for a pair of seasons before getting hired by Mike Gundy and Oklahoma State.

Replacing Yurcich at OSU

Among the names that may replace coach Yurcich at Oklahoma State are receiver coach Kasey Dunn and coach Josh Henson, the offensive coordinator for Missouri between 2013 and 2015. Other hopefuls include Marcus Arroyo of Oregon, Todd Monken, former offensive coordinator at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Graham Harrell of North Texas.

Mike Yurcich leaves Oklahoma State to become Passing Game Coordinator/QB's Coach at Ohio State