Al Washington Shares His Affinity for Ryan Day, Ohio State and Coaching Near His Family

"Well, it's a special place and it all starts with the people," Washington said. "You could have a job on Mars, but if it's good people, I feel like that makes it a better job and a good job. And so, it's about the people here, number one. Not to say that the places I've been in the past did not have good people, but I really enjoy the people I work with here. Starting with Ryan Day. Obviously, it's well-documented. I've known Ryan (for a long time) and Ryan is a very influential person to me professionally and I've known him personally for years, so I'll start with him. He's a great leader. He's an elite person to mold yourself after because of his habits and the way he lives his life. So, I'll start with that.

"But then you go to the defensive side and we've got some great guys. Kerry Coombs is an unbelievable leader and a great person. Larry Johnson. I mean, I could go on and on. Both on the defensive and the offensive side. So, that's why Ohio State is special because of the people that you have a chance to work with. And I'm being honest about that. And they make you better. The people here make you better because everything at a place like Ohio State is expected to be excellent.

"The second piece for me personally is this is home. On Sunday, my mom had a chance to come over, and she drove 20 minutes instead of 12 hours and she was able to see my kids, her grandkids. They get to know her as "Ya-Ya." And they really get to know her. My father (Al Washington Sr., who played at Ohio State) is over all the time and he shares his opinion all the time. He knows the players, he's around it and it's unique."