Gov. Mike DeWine is handing Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a former Youngstown State University and The Ohio State University football coach, a new playbook.

During Wednesday’s State of the State address, DeWine said he’s asked Tressel, who’s been lieutenant governor for about a month, “to lead an exciting and innovative new effort to create ‘Ohio’s Workforce Playbook.'”

Since the Feb. 10 announcement that Tressel, who’s never held elected office, was going to be lieutenant governor, DeWine has said Tressel would focus on workforce development and education.

DeWine, a Republican, said the workforce playbook program “is really the logical extension of our economic success. The lieutenant governor is ready. He’s ready to help clear the barrier holding Ohioans back and ready to recruit everyone we can onto our Ohio workforce team.”

DeWine said, “I am asking Lt. Gov. Tressel to focus on identifying the job, skill-set, education and talent needs in each region of Ohio. In doing this, the lieutenant governor will bring people together. He will work closely with our four-year universities and colleges, our career tech schools, our state agencies as well as local businesses and leaders, and develop a regional strategy that meets the specific needs of each region of Ohio.”

DeWine said Tressel “will focus on how we produce enough workers to meet those needs as we strive to retain homegrown talent, recruit new talent into Ohio and rally our existing workforce.”

Tressel spent nearly nine years as YSU president, retiring two years ago.

DeWine has said he’s long admired Tressel, but grew to know him much better during the latter’s time running YSU. DeWine has said he was convinced Tressel was the ideal choice to succeed Jon Husted, who left the lieutenant governor’s position in January after the governor appointed him to an open U.S. Senate seat, even before meeting with him Feb. 1.

Tressel was hired by YSU to be its head football coach for the 1986 season and led the team to four Division 1-AA national championships through 2000, when he was hired to be head coach of The Ohio State University football team. During his time at Ohio State, the team won a national title in 2002 and seven Big 10 championships.

Tressel resigned in 2011 after the university’s football program got caught up in an NCAA investigation involving players improperly selling memorabilia for benefits, including tattoos.

After serving as vice president of strategic engagement at the University of Akron, Tressel returned to YSU as its president, starting the job May 2014 and retiring in February 2023.

During his Wednesday speech, DeWine said he wanted to thank Tressel and his wife, Ellen, “for joining our team. We are thrilled to have the Tressels by our side as we continue to move the ball toward the goal line.”

A number of those at the joint session of the state House and Senate let out groans and a small amount of laughter at the football pun.

In response, DeWine said, “Gotta do a couple of those guys.”

Regarding Tressel, DeWine said he’s “been a leader in every job he has ever held. I saw that up close during his nine years running Youngstown State University. He knows education. He knows the workforce. And he knows Ohio.”

State Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, said he is eager to see what Tressel does in this capacity.

State Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Boardman, said workforce “is Tressel’s lane. Tressel will lean heavily into it. He knows these issues inside and out.”

As DeWine has mentioned before, he said Wednesday he wants Tressel to “lead a state initiative to promote fitness in our schools.”

DeWine said Wednesday: “More on that to come.”

Tressel has said he will do whatever DeWine asks of him and is impressed with the governor’s work ethic.

Tressel hasn’t ruled out a run next year for governor and is speaking at several county Republican Party Lincoln Day dinners in Ohio.

The announced Republican candidates for governor in 2026 so far are Attorney General Dave Yost and Vivek Ramaswamy, a billionaire biotech entrepreneur who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement the day he announced his candidacy Feb. 24.

Dr. Amy Acton, DeWine’s former health director during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, has declared her candidacy as a Democrat for governor.