Ohio State Assistant Coach Carjacked During Cleveland Recruiting Trip

With the college football regular season over, most assistant coaches are back on the recruiting trail, working to improve their teams next year. One Ohio State assistant coach, however, ran into some trouble when following through with a simple recruiting visit.

Buckeyes tight end coach Keenan Bailey was carjacked on Monday afternoon while visiting a recruit in Cleveland. Police arrested four youths, ages between 15 and 18, in connection with the incident after a police chase that also included a police helicopter.

According to Cleveland.com, the four perpetrators robbed Bailey at gunpoint and stole his Dodge Durango, but were unsuccessful when trying to carjack two other women. Cleveland Councilman Mike Polensek said the incident occurred in the parking lot of Ginn Academy during school hours.

An Ohio State spokesman said that Bailey was already back to recruiting. On Tuesday, Bailey posted on social media that he made his way to Canada after the incident.

Bailey has been with the Buckeyes since 2016, working his way up through the ranks. He held positions as an offensive intern, quality control coach and special assistant to the head coach through the years, but was promoted to tight ends coach before the 2023 season.