Ohio State adds C.J. Barnett, Todd Fitch to football staff

The Ohio State football program has added a couple new names to its staff in the past few days, as former Buckeye defensive back C.J. Barnett and former Vanderbilt interim head coach Todd Fitch have both come aboard in different roles.

Barnett, who played in the Buckeyes’ defensive backfield from 2009-13, is listed in the Ohio State staff directory as the director of player development and external affairs. That post was previously held by Ryan Stamper, who left the Buckeyes’ staff to join former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars staff last month.

Barnett, a former captain at Ohio State, had been working for the Columbus Division of Police since 2018.

Another new addition to the football staff directory is former Vanderbilt offensive coordinator Todd Fitch, who closed out this past season as the program’s interim head coach.

Fitch is listed as an offensive quality control coach, and given his extensive experience coaching multiple offensive positions or coordinating offenses for programs including Connecticut, South Carolina and Iowa State for the past 30-plus years, he is expected to be an offensive analyst for the Buckeyes.

Fitch’s listing in the directory mirrors that of another new hire, former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads, who was brought in as a defensive analyst this week. Fitch is also listed as a quality control coach on the Buckeye staff.

RELATED: Report: Buckeyes to add Rhoads as defensive analyst

From 2013-14, Fitch served as the passing game coordinator and receivers coach at Boston College, during which time Ohio State head coach Ryan Day was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the program.

When Day left Boston College to become the quarterback coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, Fitch stepped into his role as OC and QB coach for Boston College.

Fitch then spent four seasons as the offensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech joining the Vanderbilt staff in 2020.