Former Ohio State Assistant Coach Finds New Home

Former Ohio State Buckeyes safeties coach Perry Eliano is taking his experience elsewhere.

Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safeties coach Perry Eliano yells from the sideline during the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

A former Ohio State Buckeyes assistant isn't going too far within the state to find his new coaching home.

Per reports Thursday from ESPN's Pete Thamel, former OSU safeties coach Perry Eliano is being hired by Toledo to be the team's newest cornerbacks coach.

Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safeties coach Perry Eliano motions during the NCAA football game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports / Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

"Sources: Toledo is hiring Perry Eliano as the school’s new corners coach. He’s a former assistant at Ohio State, Cincinnati and New Mexico. He also coached Sauce Gardner for two years at Cincinnati." Thamel tweeted.

Eliano was not re-signed by the Buckeyes following the end of last season and thus had to land on his feet elsewhere.

The Rockets lost a first-round NFL talent in the secondary earlier this offseason, as cornerback Quinyon Mitchell was selected No. 22 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles this past April. Eliano will look to recapture some of that magic by taking over the secondary.

Eliano got his coaching career started as a running backs/receivers coach for Central Arkansas in 2003. After going back to his home state of Texas to coach cornerbacks at Sam Houston for a year in 2005, he returned to Central Arkansas in 2006 and remained the team's secondary coach until 2009 before he added the role of associate head coach in 2010.

Making his way back to Texas in 2011, Eliano joined the UTSA Roadrunners in San Antonio as a special teams coordinator. After leaving the Lone Star State again in 2015, he made stops with Bowling Green (2016-17), New Mexico (2018-19), Cincinnati (2020-21) before being hired by Ohio State in 2022.