Former Buckeye Rejoins Ohio State's Strength and Conditioning Staff

A former Buckeyes linebacker and will be returning to Ohio State with a long history of bringing intensity to the weight room.

Anthony Schlegel has come back to the Buckeyes to work with the strength and conditioning staff after two previous stints in the same department. In addition to his time as a Buckeye, Schlegel also possesses experience in the NFL, both as a player and as a strength and conditioning coach.

A spot on the Buckeyes’ strength and conditioning staff was left open after former associate director of strength and conditioning Antonio Turner left to join Brian Hartline at the University of South Florida. It is not yet clear what Schlegel’s specific position will be.

Dubbed the “Minister of Toughness,” Schlegel began his career at the United States Air Force Academy, becoming the first sophomore captain in the program’s history. Following his sophomore season, Schlegel transferred to Ohio State, racking up more than 80 tackles in both of his two seasons as a Buckeye.

Who is Anthony Schlegel?

Schlegel was selected in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, playing 13 games his rookie season, before being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals. Over Schlegel’s brief NFL career, he recorded 34 total tackles in a 17-game span.

After retiring as a player, Schlegel first returned to Ohio State in 2011 to take a spot as the program’s assistant strength and conditioning coach. Possibly his most memorable moment as a Buckeye came during this coaching period, when, during a game against Cincinnati, the former linebacker hooked his arm around a fan who ran onto the field, slamming the Buckeye supporter to the ground.

The fan was eventually fined $100.

Schlegel’s last season with the Buckeyes’ coaching staff was in 2015. Afterwards, Schlegel founded the company The Difference USA, specializing in creating football training equipment. The company’s main product is The Difference Striking Machine, a piece of equipment that helps athletes train their striking and hand placement techniques.

When former Ohio State legend Urban Meyer decided to take a chance in the NFL, becoming the Jaguars’ head coach, Schlegel joined in as the head strength and conditioning coach. The former linebacker only stayed with Jacksonville for one season.

In early 2024, Schlegel was brought in once again to Ohio State, this time as the interim assistant strength and conditioning coach, replacing one of the assistants who left due to surgery.

Schlegel also co-hosted a Buckeye and college football talk show on The BIGPLAY Sports Network with fellow former Buckeye linebacker Bobby Carpenter, called “The Bobby Carpenter Show w/ Anthony Schlegel.”