COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, who also has served as president at Youngstown State University, has been nominated by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine to be the state's next lieutenant governor.
The Republican governor announced the pick at a news conference Monday, calling Tressel "a natural leader" who will ably succeed Jon Husted, whom DeWine recently tapped to fill the U.S. Senate seat left open by JD Vance's election as vice president.
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.
"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.
