Former OSU football coach Jim Tressel has been a "champion" of LifeWise, the founder of the Bible-teaching program previously told The Dispatch.

Jim Tressel, a former college football coach and Ohio’s soon-to-be lieutenant governor, said Thursday that he never envisioned accepting such a position — and that, despite heightened speculation, he has not thought about running for governor in 2026.

The decision I made was to sign the NCAA form that all of our players were doing appropriate things — and that wasn't the truth.”