Paul Germano left Athens for Fresno State five years ago, but he never left Ohio behind.
The defensive line coach from 2004-2011, Germano had accumulated some Ohio gear in his time with the Bobcats. So in his five years as a defensive line coach at Fresno State, he kept some items with him.
"I had 11 years worth of Ohio University gear when I went to Fresno," Germano said. "I saved eight pieces of OU stuff. They sat in my closet for five years. For some reason, I don’t know, if there was a weird thing like I might come back because most of the time you don’t do that.”
Now, Germano is back. The old, new face on the staff.
But he's not the only "fresh face" on the staff. In fact, a lot of his defensive line is like him: young, but only in a sense.
Ohio's defensive line is returning just one starter, defensive tackle Cleon Aloese, along its defensive line for next year. The rest of the defensive line, however, isn't inexperienced. The first team defensive line, along with Aloese, has Tony Porter and Kevin Robbins on it. All three are seniors. The only non-senior on the first unit is Sam McKnight, who will be a redshirt sophomore next year.
“I learned a lot from last year with the big boys, Tarell Basham, Casey Sayles, Kurt Laseak," Aloese said. "What they taught and left for me on the field was leadership. They expect more from me, not only on the field, but off the field as well.”
Porter and Robbins saw significant time last year, but they didn't start. Porter recorded a tackle in each game he played in, as did Robbins with the exception of Kansas, the second game of the season.
"They’ve got scars, they’ve played, they’ve got experience, by playing a lot of kids, you inherit a group that’s not green," Germano said. "The fact that they’ve got a damn good tradition of playing pretty good defense up front, I want to continue that.”
The defensive line was a key part in last year's defense, one that ranked sixth in run defense. Basham led the team with 11.5 sacks.
"When I was at Fresno State, we had Derek Carr," Germano said. "When he graduated, we were 11-2 and knew we couldn’t have another guy like that. Basham was in his own little category. I’d love to develop the next Basham, if that’s the word you want. Time will tell if we can do that or not.”
Whether or not Germano can develop more NFL talent remains to be seen, as does the fact of whether the Bobcats, with the rebuilt defensive line, can produce at the same level they did last year.
The front seven was the strongest part of the team last year, the part that nearly carried the team to the MAC Championship. Four of the seven have graduated, with two projected to be drafted in the NFL next month.
But coach Frank Solich and Jimmy Burrow's defense isn't changing. It's a matter of plugging in the new linemen.
“I think we’re on the same page, coach Burrow and coach Solich, the blueprint stays the same," Germano said. "Your ends are athletic, they’re long, they’re lean. Your inside guys are physical, they’re tough, they’ve got great body control and balance. That’s not gonna change with me.”
With the concepts and schemes the same, it's just a matter of sustaining the success that last year's line had. No pressure.
“To be honest with you, our goal is as high as it can be," Germano said. "Our goal is to be the best defensive line in the MAC, let’s be the best defense in the MAC, and let’s win a MAC Championship. There’s no way we can’t accomplish all three.”
