Which Ohio State football assistants reached the goals set in their 2020 evaluations?
COLUMBUS, Ohio  One year ago, Ohio State football coaches set their personal expectations for a season still being threatened by the coronavirus pandemic. Ohio State on Friday released football coaching evaluations written in June 2020. For head coach Ryan Day and athletic director Gene Smith, the evaluations consisted of letters written by their superiors. Smith wrote that Days 2019 performance in his first season as head coach exceeded my expectations. Former President Michael Drake wrote that Smith was a tremendous leader and asset to Ohio State.  Each of the football assistants, however, filled out a self-evaluation form also signed by Day. These evaluations rarely yield any truly candid evaluations. Lest anyone slip up and forget what they written can later be read by anyone, each evaluation document is emblazoned with the words **PUBLIC RECORD** at the top of the first page. The self-evaluations did offer some insight into what those coaches prioritized for the past season, and whether they met or fell short of those goals. Problem solved  Each assistant gave himself a score on a 1-5 scale on a variety of topics. Only one assistant gave himself a score lower than a 3 on any category. Running backs coach Tony Alford gave himself a 2  which translates to needs improvement  in the crucial area of productivity in recruiting. Alford had notably missed out on multiple high-profile running back targets for the 2020 class, where OSU ended up taking in-state prospect Miyan Williams, a former Iowa State commitment. Yet that evaluation was signed on June 15. By that point, Alford had already corrected the previous years deficiency. Evan Pryor and TreVeyon Henderson had already committed to OSU within two weeks of each other the previous March. Around the same time, Trey Sermon had also committed to OSU as a graduate transfer for the 2020 season. That commitment stemmed directly from his prior relationship with Alford during his high school recruitment. Alford did not shy from his shortcomings in that one area, but before he signed this document  and long before they become public  he had already made the necessary corrections. Aiming high  Kerry Coombs had only been on the job again for about six months when he signed his evaluation. As such his performance as defensive coordinator remained speculative. He did, though, set high standards for himself as a first-time coordinator taking over a defense that lost three first-round picks and four other starters to the 2019 NFL Draft. Under areas to work on, Coombs listed Development of young players and Top defense in the country. If that seems lofty, remember, OSU led the nation in total defense under Jeff Hafley and Greg Mattison in 2019. The former never really got off the ground. The coronavirus pandemic ended spring practice after one week and scuttled the offseason. Even if Coombs and Day had been inclined to play more freshman defensive backs  and precedent suggests that is unlikely  the Class of 2020 never had a real chance to prove itself. That lack of depth contributed to Coombs falling well short of that second goal, at least in the short term. When veteran defensive backs faltered, OSU had no one to take their place. It finished 59th in total defense. This time next year we will probably have access to a more enlightening assessment. First in class  Coaches can also use these public documents to get their message out to the masses. Receivers coach Brian Hartlines No. Win the rivalry game, Big Ten championship and national championship, he wrote. Two out of three aint bad, and the Buckeyes reached the playoff final before losing to Alabama. His No. Remove all doubt of WRU. Thats a subjective goal, to be sure, and one reliant on assessments beyond Ohio States coaching staff. But you cannot argue Hartline did not make progress towards that title in 2020. Garrett Wilsons sophomore breakout arrived right on schedule. Chris Olave transitioned to front-line playmaker. Then Hartline kept pulling talent into Columbus, including the No. 1 receiver in the 2021 class, Emeka Egbuka. Starting strong  Corey Dennis evaluation covered the five months from Jan. 20 to June 20, after his promotion from quality control coach to quarterbacks coach. Again, little experience was not considered an excuse for low standards. The No. 2 item on Dennis Work on list: Recruit best QB in country.  It took him a whole five months, but Dennis was integral to Quinn Ewers, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2022 class, flipping from Texas to the Buckeyes. Thats quite a feather in ones cap already. A big part of Dennis next evaluation, however, will hinge on the development of the three quarterbacks currently competing to start this fall. 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