COLUMBUS, Ohio –– He’s been a fixture on the sideline for elite college football coaching staffs for a quarter century, but when Ohio State and Michigan State kick off on Saturday, it will be Larry Johnson’s first time in a head coaching role since the early ’90s.

The seventh-year Ohio State defensive line coach, who has also held the title of associate head coach for the past two seasons, will fill in for Ryan Day after the Buckeyes’ head coach tested positive for COVID-19 this past week.

However, Johnson said he anticipates a group effort as far as managing the game on the sideline is concerned.

“That was the mindset from the beginning, it’s not gonna be just me,” Johnson told 97.1 The Fan on Thursday. “It’s gonna be the guys –– Kevin [Wilson], certainly Kerry Coombs and Greg [Mattison]. All those guys will be around me. So it’s not gonna be one decision, it’ll be a collective decision if it comes to that.”