Notebook: OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo adjusting to larger staff

Rowdy Baribeau Staff Reporter

OSU defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo hasn’t coached at a D-I university since he was a graduate assistant at Ohio University, his alma mater.

Nardo was used to things being different at his former jobs, in large part because his past jobs didn’t have the facilities or manpower that OSU does. Nardo said it has been the biggest adjustment.

“More people to work with every day, more people that are looking for things to do,” Nardo said. “I’m used to coming from smaller schools where we’d have three or four people on our side of the ball and having to do a lot of stuff ourselves. Whether it was setting up the field, whether it was getting everything ready for scout cards. The amount of help that we have, it’s impressive, that’s been the biggest thing to adjust to.”

Gundy addresses Etienne’s transfer

Mike Gundy has expressed his displeasure with the spring transfer window for a a few weeks, and he did it again on Monday. On Friday, Caleb Etienne, a 6-foot-7, 330-pound offensive lineman was the first to enter the portal and he announced transfer to BYU.

Etienne started at OSU but Gundy explained why Etienne chose to leave the program.

“Caleb just felt like he got beat out, so he left,” Gundy said. “That’s his choice. He didn’t feel like he was going to start here, and that he was going to lose his job and he wanted to go somewhere else. I’m not a big fan of the portal in the spring because it’s extremely difficult to replace roster numbers.”

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Dunn confident in the healthy, bolstered wide receiver room OSU saw an exodus of skill-position players after last season, for the Cowboys lost their starting quarterback, starting running back, two starting wide receivers and two more rotational wideouts.

Kasey Dunn, Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, had to replace a lot on his side of the ball. Wideouts Jaden Bray and Blaine Green are back in the lineup after their injury-riddled seasons in 2022. Brennan Presley’s smile is still present in practice, as well as some new faces brought in to replace the departed receivers. Dunn said his group is better than it was a year ago. “We are much stronger, much deeper,” Dunn said. “We’re excited to have guys out there that can catch the ball and are big and strong, and more depth. We can rotate guys through. We got to a point where, unfortunately, [last year] we’re running a true freshman out there and he has to take every damn snap.” sports.ed@ocolly.com