Richard McNutt is in his second season at Tennessee State under head coach and fellow OSU graduate Eddie George.
McNutt has coached defensive backs at the NFL, FBS, FCS and Division III ranks in his 17-year coaching career.
Prior to his appointment at TSU, McNutt spent one season at Southeastern University.
McNutt knows the state of Ohio well. He's been an assistant at four schools and the fifth location in the state where he has been a coach. During his coaching career, he has been with Youngstown State, Toledo, Kent State, and Ohio State and was also a member of the Cleveland Browns’ staff.
Before joining Coach Bo Pelini's staff at YSU, the Chicago, Ill., native, was the special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at North Carolina Wesleyan in 2014.
In 2013, McNutt served on Dave Doeren’s staff at North Carolina State. The Wolfpack saw marked improvement in the secondary finishing third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing defense that season.
McNutt's success with the Wolfpack followed a successful two-year stint as cornerbacks coach on Doeren's staff at Northern Illinois. His two seasons in DeKalb was highlighted by the memorable 2012 season in which the Huskies reached the Discover Orange Bowl and posted a 12-2 overall mark.
At Kent State he coached the defensive backs and the corners in 2009 and 2010 for Coach Doug Martin. In 2010, the Golden Flashes boasted the top-ranked defense in the MAC while ranking second in pass efficiency defense under his direction. KSU was 10th in the nation in total defense allowing just 306 yards per contest and ranked 17th in pass-efficiency defense.
He also boasts experience at the professional level, having spent 2008 on the staff of the Cleveland Browns. Assisting with the safeties and defensive backs, McNutt helped the Browns rank second in the NFL in interceptions with 23 that season.
McNutt spent two years at Washington & Jefferson (2004-05), a season at the FCS level at VMI in 2006 and had his first of three stints in the MAC in 2007 at Toledo.
As a player, McNutt was on the Buckeyes teams that won the 2002 National Championship with a perfect 14-0 record under Tressel. He was a three-year letterwinner for OSU and played in every game for Ohio State in both the 2000 and 2001 seasons. In the title-winning campaign, he started the first six games of 2002 at cornerback before he was sidelined by injury.
As a student assistant with Ohio State in 2003, he assisted with the cornerbacks and special teams and was a member of the staff that led OSU to an 11-2 record and a victory in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. He earned his degree in human ecology from Ohio State in 2004.
McNutt went to Ohio State after a stellar prep career at Rich East High School in Park Forest, Ill. He was named one of the top five cornerback prospects in the country that year.
McNutt has two sons, Devon and Trey, and two daughters, Nya and Leyla.
