Justin Michael Frye (born September 19, 1983) is a former American football offensive lineman and the current associate head coach for offense and offensive line coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team.
 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Associate head coach/ offensive line coach / run game coordinator |
| Team | Ohio State |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | September 19, 1983 |
| Alma mater | Indiana |
| Playing career | |
| 2002–2006 | Indiana |
| Position(s) | Offensive tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2007–2008 | Indiana (GA) |
| 2009–2010 | Florida (GA) |
| 2011–2012 | Temple (OL) |
| 2013–2017 | Boston College (OL) |
| 2018 | UCLA (OL) |
| 2019–2021 | UCLA (OC/OL) |
| 2022–present | Ohio State (OL) |
Playing career
editFrye attended Elwood High School in his hometown of Elwood, Indiana, where he played on the offensive line. He went on to play college football for Indiana for five seasons, from 2002 to 2006. At Indiana, Frye set the school record for most consecutive starts by an offensive lineman, with 45 consecutive starts.[1]
Coaching career
editIndiana
editFrye began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for his alma mater, Indiana. At Indiana, Frye worked with the offensive line and the tight ends from 2007 to 2008.
Florida
editFrye went on to serve as a graduate assistant for the Florida Gators, where he worked with the offensive line. At Florida, Frye worked with multiple future NFL Draft picks, including Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, Marcus Gilbert, and Maurice Hurt.
Temple
editFollowing his stint at Florida, Frye landed his first job as an offensive line coach for the Temple Owls in 2011. In Frye's first year at Temple, the Owls ranked seventh in the nation in rushing yards, at 256.5 yards per game, and they set school records for the most rushing yards and most rushing touchdowns in a season. In 2012, Frye's second season with the program, the Owls once again enjoyed a prolific rushing offense with a Big East Conference-leading 201.2 rushing yards per game.
Boston College
editIn 2013, Frye left Temple to become the offensive line coach at Boston College, where he coached for five seasons. In Frye's first season with the program, his offensive line paved the way for Andre Williams to become the first Doak Walker Award recipient in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history. Guided by Frye's offensive line, Williams rushed for 2,177 yards, with a nation-leading 167.5 yards per game. Williams also finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. In Frye's second season (2014), the Eagles rushed for 254.7 yards per game, and their offensive line allowed just 21 sacks, the 29th-fewest in the nation. Following that season, two of Frye's linemen, Ian Silberman and Adam Gallik, were both selected in the 2015 NFL draft. In 2016, Frye's fourth season, the Eagles' offense led the ACC and ranked 11th in the country in time of possession. In Frye's final season at Boston College (2017), the Eagles averaged 220.4 yards rushing, good for 25th in the nation, and the Eagles' offensive line allowed only 15 sacks the entire season.[citation needed]
UCLA
editIn 2018, Chip Kelly hired Frye as the offensive line coach at UCLA. Despite UCLA's 3–9 record in Frye's inaugural season with the Bruins, the Bruins' rushing attack improved by over 40 yards per game from the previous season. Additionally, running back Joshua Kelley rushed for 1,243 yards in 2018, including 289 yards against crosstown rival USC; Kelley's 289 yards were the most generated by a running back in the history of the UCLA–USC rivalry. Over the final eight games of the season, UCLA averaged over 432 yards of offense per game, including over 164 rushing yards per game. Following the 2018 season, Frye was promoted to offensive coordinator, although he continued to coach the Bruins' offensive line.[2]
Ohio State
editOn January 11, 2022, it was announced that Frye would take the position of associate head coach for offense and offensive line coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes,[3] succeeding former offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, who was fired on January 6, 2022.[4] Frye and Buckeyes' head coach Ryan Day coached together at Temple in 2012, and at Boston College in 2013 and 2014.
Personal life
editFrye is married to Lauren Frye (née Torpey[5]), with whom he has four children: Kevin, Zoe, Max, and Welles.[2]
References
edit- ^ "UCLA offense hopes to continue growth with Justin Frye at coordinator". Los Angeles Daily News. August 23, 2019.
- ^ a b "Justin Frye - Football Coach".
- ^ "Ohio State hires Justin Frye as offensive line coach".
- ^ "Greg Studrawa out as Ohio State offensive line coach". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "Justin Frye - Football Coach".