Former Penn State quarterback Billy Fessler is beginning to climb the coaching ranks.
According to a report from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, Ohio State is expected to promote Fessler as its new quarterbacks coach.
Fessler, 29, spent 2024 as an offensive analyst, helping OSU win its first national title since 2014.
Ohio State is expected to name Billy Fessler as its new quarterbacks coach, sources tell @cbssports/@247Sports.
Fessler, a rising star figure in the coaching world, was a coaching assistant at Ohio State this season after serving as an OC at UCLA and Akron.… pic.twitter.com/pA4ZhYU9Dv
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 5, 2025
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Formerly the QB coach (2022) and offensive coordinator (2023) at Akron, Fessler briefly joined UCLA’s staff before moving to Chip Kelly’s team at OSU. Kelly served as Ohio State’s OC and QB coach a season ago but left to join Pete Carroll’s staff for the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders.
An Erie native, Fessler played quarterback at Penn State from 2014-2017. He only played parts of two seasons for James Franklin (2016, 2017), serving as a backup for Trace McSorley. He joined Slippery Rock and Mississippi State the following two seasons, respectively, as a graduate assistant.
Prior to the 2024 season, the NCAA instituted a new rule eliminating previous regulations that limited the number of analysts to coach in practices and games. Fessler took advantage and continues to climb the ranks in the coaching world.
Ohio State lost to Oregon and Michigan to finish the regular season 10-2, paving the way for PSU to reach the 2024 Big Ten Championship Game. The Buckeyes earned a No. 8 seed in the College Football Playoff and relied on a veteran roster to win the national championship, something Penn State hopes to replicate with Drew Allar, Nick Singleton, Kaytron Allen, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Zakee Wheatley, and others back at PSU this fall and winter.
