On the night of Jan. 19 in Atlanta, Ohio State won the national championship with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame. At that moment, Buckeyes offensive line coach Justin Frye had no idea one month later he would be addressing the media in Tempe after being hired as the Arizona Cardinals line coach to replace Klayton Adams, who departed to become the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.
So, Justin, what has the last month been like?
“A blur,” he admitted. “The confetti’s fallen and you’re there celebrating with your guys and all the work and everything put into it and that was such a learning experience. Just with the 16 games we played stretched out the season. Managing your guys, managing a roster. So that was outstanding. You get home. You take a breath. And then you keep your kids on the team, the transfer portal — college free agency. Your head’s on a swivel all the time. And then we’re right on the road recruiting. So the celebration of that was not until the off week, the dead week, and then between getting called from J.G. (head coach Jonathan Gannon). That was kind of an influx of like juice. Exciting. Nervous. More excitement.”
Before Frye knew it, he had accepted the job and began the grind last week.
He said, “I’m telling my kids, telling my family what we’re getting a chance to do. And then it really came to a head last week when I walked in the building the first time. Just kind of walking in and dive back into football and start watching tape and stuff. But just a range of emotions that you don’t … There’s no textbook or no coaching manual. Like, all right, you won a national championship. Here’s how you’re supposed to feel, how you’re supposed to react. Now it’s another new exciting challenge to get to go do, so it’s been a ton of fun, ton of football.”
The 41-year-old Frye’s last seven seasons have been spent coaching the offensive line at UCLA from 2018-21 where Cardinals O-lineman Jon Gaines played. Then, he went to Ohio State for left tackle Paris Johnson’s final collegiate season and the next two.
He said he could tell immediately what he liked about the Cardinals and what made the job appealing.
“From the first time I talked to J.G.,” Frey said. “In the football business just whether it’s whatever level you’re at, just the communication is when you get a sense and a feel for people. I think we latched on and I latched on to what he’s about as a man, as the figurehead of the organization and ultimately running the football program. That really jumped out and having a chance to talk to Drew (offensive coordinator Drew Petzing) and I talked to Izzy (quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork) and some of the guys in passing, but just that latch where you can come in and the train’s already moving, so to be able to hop on and get going and keep going with them. That was a real comfort there with that.
“The organization. I talk to Paris all the time. Jon Gaines; I coached Jon Gaines. Marv (wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.) being around. So getting a good feel for what the real inner workings were. Knowing that fit. It was a square peg in a square hole. Not vice versa. The excitement of that really played into it.”
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