Ohio State won its national title finally last year under Ryan Day, and the head coach quickly bagged a new contract, becoming the second-highest-paid coach in college football. But behind that natty win was another stalwart coach, whose contribution must not go unnoticed. After all, he was the man behind elevating running back Quinshon Judkins to a 1,000+ yards season and the brilliant run game that Ohio State produced last year.

Yes, we are talking about Ohio State’s RBs coach Carlos Locklyn, who came from Oregon last year after the Buckeyes’ former RBs coach Tony Alford went to Michigan. His arrival wasn’t just a coup for Ryan Day, but he was bringing a whole new approach to develop the running backs. The result? It didn’t need to be said, as it’s well known. But he was the mastermind behind TeVeyon Henderson and Judkins’ performance. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Locklyn’s love for Ryan Day came out in a recent interview.

“I knew nobody, like I’m not from this street, I knew nobody. And Coach Day comes out? I gotta tell you about it. I don’t have a big name like the rest of you guys in college coaching. Nobody knew me. So for him to reach out to me and say, ‘Hey, look, I want you to come coach here at Ohio State.’ I was blown away,” said Locklyn. But his admiration of Ohio State doesn’t just stem from Ryan Day reaching out and making him comfortable; it also has to do with the type of city Columbus is, and guess what? Locklyn loves it dearly, even more than his Montgomery.

“I can walk in Columbus, and somebody says, Coach, can I take a picture? ‘That threw me off. People know who I am. It’s the passion of the fans. I truly love living in Columbus, man. It’s one of the best cities…There’s no place like Columbus, Ohio. No place. There’s no place in college football. I’m from Alabama. I’m the biggest Alabama fan in the world. It’s not like Columbus,” said Locklyn.

Apart from Quinshon Judkins, Locklyn also has developed players like James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon, who will be pivotal for the Buckeyes’ 2025 season. However, despite his elite running room at OSU, the ghost of the Oregon Ducks doesn’t seem to leave him, and it’s following him in the form of a lawsuit. It all stems from Oregon’s allegations that Locklyn owed $400,000 in buyout to the program.

Carlos Locklyn’s lawsuit problem resurfaces?

Locklyn was with Oregon for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, where he developed players like Bucky Irving, who went on to produce 1,593 all-purpose yards. Moreover, his time also saw Oregon having a strong rushing attack in the Pac-12 in 2022 when they averaged 218.5 rushing yards per game. Then in 2023, the team rushed for 184.5 yards per game and ranked third only behind LSU and Liberty. However, his abrupt departure came with a lawsuit by Oregon on the grounds of breaching a contract. But now the RB coach has requested the dismissal of the lawsuit.

Locklyn’s attorneys ask that the university’s claim for ‘unjust enrichment’ be dismissed because there is “an adequate legal remedy” for the claim of breach of contract. Oregon is asking a price of $400,000 for breach of contract, per Locklyn’s buyout for leaving Oregon for Ohio State last spring, and the amount owed is in dispute.

Notably, the parties had attempted to resolve the matter, and Locklyn even offered to pay $200,000 of the alleged buyout money. But Oregon remained adamant and wanted the $400,000 plus 9% interest. Locklyn, however, has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, terming Oregon’s interpretation of the contract to be “inaccurate, invalid, and unenforceable.”