COLUMBUS, Ohio — (AP) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday nominated former Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Jim Tressel to be the state's next lieutenant governor, praising him as a seasoned educator and leader with the skills to take the state's helm if need be.
Tressel, 72, retired a year and a half ago as president of Youngstown State University, a job he had held since 2014. Since then, he has been engaged in workforce and economic development activities.
“Jim Tressel is Ohio values. He’s a hard worker and shares that vision (I have) for the future of Ohio,” the Republican governor said at a news conference. “He has the ability to pull people together. He has the ability to lead. He will enable me to be assured that if something happens to me, he can walk in and be governor that day and that would be seamless.”
DeWine said Tressel can ably succeed Jon Husted, who left the job last month after DeWine tapped him to fill the U.S. Senate seat left open by JD Vance's election as vice president.
“He knows Ohio,” DeWine said. “Jim Tressel, I trust his judgment. He is a born leader.”
Tressel expressed admiration for DeWine's leadership while acknowledging that he would be a newcomer to the political realm.
“I want to study a little bit about what Jon Husted has going on, and so I want to learn the business, if you will,” he said. “And then it’s up to when you sit down with the team and the staff and everyone else trying to figure out who plays what position best. And I’d be more than happy to to help wherever I can.”
The governor said the two men have had no discussions about whether Tressel would make a run for the governorship in 2026, when DeWine must retire due to term limits.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is already in that race on the Republican side, with former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy expected to launch a bid soon. On The Shawn Ryan Show earlier Monday, the Cincinnati-born biotech entrepreneur said his launch will come in late February.
Former Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is running as a Democrat.
Tressel's nomination must now be approved by the Ohio Senate and Ohio House, which are both led by Republican supermajorities.
Tressel was head coach of 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.
Leading Ohio business groups commended DeWine on the choice.
“With his wealth of experience in the education field, Jim understands its importance in building Ohio’s workforce of tomorrow," Ohio Chamber President & CEO Steve Stivers said in a statement, saying Tressel would prioritize workforce development "for the benefit of the business community and all Ohioans.”