GOP Governor Nominates Former College Football Coach As Lieutenant Governor

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has nominated former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to serve as the state’s next lieutenant governor.

Tressel also served as the president of Youngstown State University.

DeWine called Tressel, who would serve as lieutenant governor for the remaining two years of his term, “a natural leader.”

Tressel will replace Jon Husted, who DeWine appointed to fill the vacant U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Vice President J.D. Vance.

Just in: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has appointed former Ohio State Football Coach Jim Tressel to serve as his Lieutenant Governor

Jim Tressel replaces Jon Husted who replaced J.D. Vance in the Senate pic.twitter.com/7N7vAwDBeM

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) February 10, 2025

Per ESPN:

The nomination must now be approved by the Ohio Senate and Ohio House.

Tressel retired a year and a half ago as president of Youngstown State, where he had served in that role since 2014. He coached Ohio State University’s football team from 2001 to 2010. The Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship during Tressel’s tenure, as well as six Big Ten championships.

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“He has the requisite skill sets. He has the criteria that I outlined. He knows Ohio,” DeWine said. “Jim Tressel, I trust his judgment. He is a born leader.”

The governor said the two men have not discussed whether Tressel would make a run for the governorship in 2026, when DeWine must retire due to term limits.

Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has been picked to replace Sen. Jon Husted as the state’s lieutenant governor. https://t.co/AHhgK96T5y pic.twitter.com/isFZRMX1h7

— NBC4 Columbus (@nbc4i) February 10, 2025

“@GovMikeDeWine made a great Lieutenant Governor pick in Jim Tressel. Lt. Governor Tressel will continue to advance Ohio’s economic and workforce development strategies. He’s a winner!” Sen. Husted (R-OH) said.

@GovMikeDeWine made a great Lieutenant Governor pick in Jim Tressel. Lt. Governor Tressel will continue to advance Ohio’s economic and workforce development strategies. He’s a winner!

— Jon Husted (@JonHusted) February 10, 2025

From The Columbus Dispatch:

DeWine said he visited Tressel at his northeast Ohio home nine days ago to talk to him about taking the job.

Tressel said DeWine’s offer for the job was a “surprise for sure.”

“I thought he was just coming to watch a couple grandkids play basketball,” Tressel said of the visit.

Tressel said his wife, Ellen, told him “It sounds like God has more work for you to do. You know we owe just about everything in our blessed lives to the state of Ohio.”

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DeWine praised Tressel’s work in education and workforce development.

“I’m an educator, that’s just what I was trained to be and that’s what I’ll be until I die,” Tressel said Monday.

Before he was hired by the Buckeyes in 2001, Tressel spent 15 seasons as Youngstown State’s football coach.

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