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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football program welcomed four new staff members today (Jan. 6), as announced by Head Coach Brian Smith. 
 
Matt Butterfield is the Bobcats' running backs coach and special teams coordinator while Tavita Thompson will be the offensive line coach. Offensive graduate assistant Kyle Obly will remain on the coaching staff, stepping up as the tight ends coach.
 
Additionally, Logan Meyer is Ohio Bobcats' first general manager, taking over the responsibilities associated with the director of recruiting. 
 
Butterfield comes to Ohio by way of Arizona State. He joined the Sun Devils' staff in Dec. 2022 as the football chief of staff, senior coaching advisor and pro liaison before adding assistant special teams coordinator to his responsibilities prior to the 2024 season. Notably, this was Butterfield's third stint at ASU, where he oversaw offensive quality control for the wide receivers (2010-12) and was the senior associate offensive analyst for the quarterbacks (2014-15).
 
Prior to his most recent stint with the Sun Devils, Butterfield stepped away from college football to work for the United States Football League (USFL) where he served as tight ends coach and special teams coordinator with the New Orleans Breakers. His special teams units were ranked second in the league and his tight end earned all-league honors while leading all USFL tight ends' in yards and receptions. 
 
"Matt brings with him over 15 years of coaching experience at various levels," Smith said. "Matt is a veteran coach with a great football mind, he has a tremendous communicator, teacher and will be a great leader for both the running backs and special teams units." 
 
Butterfield was the offensive quality control coach working with running backs for Colorado from May 2019 to March 2022. He also made stops at the University of California - Berkley (2018-19), Bucknell (2018), Oklahoma State (2017-18), Oregon (2016-17), Boise State (2015-16) and UCLA (2012-14). Throughout his career, Butterfield has coached 20 all-conference players and 13 NFL draft picks.
 
Butterfield earned his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 2010, where he was a student coach for the linebackers. He earned a Master of Education from UCLA in 2013. 
 
Meyer comes to Ohio by way of Northern Iowa, where he served as the director of football operations for the duration of the 2024 season before he was promoted to general manager. He also held the same title at Marshall from March 2023 to Jan. 2024, helping the coaching staff evaluate talent and prioritize needs as he oversaw recruiting operations for the Thundering Herd, including campus visits and coaching travel schedules.
 
"Logan's connection and experience recruiting the state of Ohio is integral to our emphasis of recruiting the top talent in the state to stay home. His recruiting expertise shows at each stop he's made," Smith said. "While he is this program's first general manager, it is not his first time stepping into that role. His knowledge and experiences will help our program stay in front of the ever-changing recruiting landscape of college of football."
 
Meyer spent the 2022 campaign as associate director of player personnel and recruiting communication coordinator at Auburn after a two-year stint as director of player personnel at Miami (Ohio). Meyer's collegiate football career began at Cincinnati, where he started as a recruiting intern (March-Sept. 2016) and was promoted to player personnel assistant (Sep.-Dec. 2016) before serving as the Bearcats' on-campus recruiting coordinator (Jan. 2017-March 2020). 
 
Meyer studied communication and public relations at Cincinnati, earning his bachelor's degree in spring 2016. 
 
Obly has been a member of Ohio's staff since 2019. He supported various units for the ensuing six seasons, highlighted by three years as an offense graduate assistant. Notably, Obly was the assistant quarterbacks coach and offensive skill graduate assistant for the 2024 season, where he was responsible for on-field coaching for quarterbacks on game day, including five-time Mid-American Conference Player of the Week and All-MAC Second Team Parker Navarro. Obly supported the receivers' room as the assistant wide receivers coach and offensive skill graduate assistant for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
 
"Kyle is one of the brightest young coaches in the profession; his pride and passion for developing the student-athletes at Ohio University has been impressive," Smith said. "I look forward to his continued growth as a coach and a leader in the coming years." 
 
Obly served as a student assistant from Aug. 2019 until May 2022, assisting offensive, special teams and recruiting staff. A two-time Bobcat, Obly earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Dec. 2022 and his Master of Science in Recreation and Sport Sciences in Dec. 2024.  
 
Thompson comes to Ohio by way of Central Michigan, where he served as an assistant coach for the past seven seasons. Most recently, Thompson was CMU's run game coordinator and offensive line coach, guiding Brayden Swartout to his second All-MAC Second Team nod.
 
Thompson spent the 2022 campaign as CMU's pass game coordinator and tight ends coach, landing both Deiyantei Powell-Woods and Brayden Swartout to All-MAC Second Team honors. Previously, he served as CMU's tackles and tight ends coach (2019 – 21) immediately following his inaugural season with the Chippewas as the tight ends coach (2018). Notably, the 2019 offense produced a MAC-best 6,070 total yards in 2019, nearly doubling the output of the 2018 Chippewas.
 
"I am fortunate to have coached Tavita at Oregon State and have enjoyed watching him grow and develop into one of the top young offensive line coaches in the country. With over a decade of experience, Tavita's body of work shows he is an excellent leader both on and off the field," Smith said. "He will continue to develop tough, hard-nosed offensive line units with great fundamentals." 
 
Prior to his arrival at CMU, Thompson spent three seasons as a graduate assistant coach with Nebraska, where he worked with tight ends Cethan Carter and Tyler Hoppes. Carter entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins, while Hoppes claims the most receptions of any Huskers tight end (34). Thompson also made appearances at Oregon State (2012-14) and Pacific (2011-12).  
 
Thompson played offensive line at Oregon State from 2004-08, helping the Beavers to four consecutive bowl victories in that time. He saw action in 18 games over his career. Thompson appeared in two preseason games for the New York Jets in 2009 and spent the 2010 season in the United Football League with the Sacramento Mountain Lions.
 
A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Thompson graduated from Oregon State in 2008 with a degree in human development and family studies. He earned a master's from Nebraska in 2016.
 
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