Former Buckeyes Coach Jim Tressel Nominated for Ohio Lieutenant Governor

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has selected former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to be his lieutenant governor.

Tressel, 72, won a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2002, and was the president of Youngstown State University until 2023. He coached in Columbus from 2001 to 2010 and left Ohio State in a 2011 scandal that would look quaint in the NIL era. He was pushed out after admitting he lied to investigators about benefits star players received at a tattoo parlor.

The former coach has never held public office, and said the nomination was “a surprise for sure.” DeWine approached Tressel about the job at his home just nine days prior to the announcement. “I thought he was just coming to watch a couple grandkids play basketball,” Tressel said.

“He has the requisite skill sets. He has the criteria that I outlined. He knows Ohio,” the Republican governor told reporters Monday. “Jim Tressel, I trust his judgment. He is a born leader.”

The Ohio Senate and House will need to confirm Tressel before he can take office. He was nominated by the governor due to a vacancy left by Jon Husted, who filled the Senate seat left by Vice President JD Vance. Two years remain on the lieutenant governor term.

“I want someone who every single day is working to come up with ideas, and this is a guy with ideas,” DeWine said. “And they’re thoughtful and they’re based on what he has seen and what he has learned.”

Despite the manner of his leaving, OSU inducted Tressel into its hall of fame in 2015. He had a record of 94–21 leading the Buckeyes. Tressel coached at Youngstown State for 15 seasons, winning four FCS National Championships (then called NCAA Division I-AA Football Championships) before he took the job at Ohio State.