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REPORT: Ohio State to add ex-Penn State football QB to staff

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Ryan Day is soon expected to add a former Penn State quarterback to the Ohio State staff for the 2024 season.

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5 months ago

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Penn State football, Billy Fessler, Ohio State
Apr 22, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Billy Fessler (16) drops back to pass during the third quarter of the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium. The Blue team won 26-0. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio State is expected to hire former Penn State football backup quarterback Billy Fessler to its support staff, according to reports from ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday. The ex-Nittany Lion will serve in an analyst role for the 2024 season.

In January, Billy Fessler was named the quarterbacks coach on Chip Kelly’s UCLA staff. However, the Bruins head coach left Westwood to become the new offensive coordinator in Columbus less than a month later.

According to Thamel, Fessler’s role on the UCLA staff had changed after Kelly’s departure.

As of Monday morning, Billy Fessler, who is expected to work with the Buckeye quarterbacks, had not been added to the Ohio State staff directory. The ex-Penn State quarterback spent two seasons as a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes in 2020 and 2021.

Ex-Penn State quarterback starting to rise in the coaching ranks

Penn State football, Billy Fessler, Ohio State

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The return to Columbus is the latest twist for Billy Fessler, who has started to make a name for himself in the coaching world since his Penn State football career ended after the 2017 season.

Fessler spent one year as the running backs coach at Slippery Rock before reuniting with former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead at Mississippi State in a graduate assistant role in 2019.

The former Nittany Lions quarterback joined Moorhead again following his first stint at Ohio State, this time at Akron. In 2023, Fessler was elevated to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, leading the Zips to an average of 279 yards per game.

Ohio State travels to Beaver Stadium on November 2 to face James Franklin and the Nittany Lions.

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Matt is a co-owner and Editor in Chief of Basic Blues Nation. Launched in 2022, Basic Blues Nation is one of the fastest-growing websites covering all Penn State athletics, with over 3.5 million readers in 2023. Matt is also a credentialed member of the Penn State football beat, and is a member of the Football Writers Association of America.

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