Ohio announced Friday that both Ron Collins, defensive coordinator and safeties coach, and Pete Germano, co-defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach, will retire at the end of the season. Ohio coach Tim Albin released a statement Friday saying that he informed the Bobcats prior to the announcement.
Collins and Germano both released statements in conjunction with the announcement on Ohio’s Twitter account Friday afternoon. Germano said in his statement that his decision to retire was made “a little less than a year ago,” and Collins stated he simply wished to retire.
“After 35 years of coaching college football, I have made the decision to retire,” Collins said. “It has been a great run and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have been blessed to work with some of the greatest coaches in the game, and to all of them, I say thank you.”
Collins was hired as Ohio’s linebackers coach in 2011, and he was appointed as the defensive coordinator and safeties coach in 2019 following the retirement of former defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow. Collins was responsible for nine linebackers since 2011 receiving All-Mid-American Conference honors, and his linebackers unit from 2016 amassed 337 total tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.
Germano had two stints as a member of Ohio’s staff. He was originally hired in 2001 and moved around the staff.
He spent three seasons coaching the defensive line, four seasons as the tight ends coach and two years as outside linebackers coach. Germano left Ohio in 2012 to become the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator at Fresno State but returned in 2017 as Ohio’s defensive line coach. He was hired as co-defensive coordinator prior to the 2019 season.
The duo’s final game at Ohio will be against Bowling Green next Friday. In the meantime, the search for coaches to fill the gap left by Collins and Germano is underway.
