Arvell Reese is wasting no time turning his Ohio State breakout into something even bigger.
The New York Giants rookie linebacker has piled up 27 solo tackles through four games, the most in the NFL, not just among first-year players. He’s also one of only 12 players leaguewide with at least four passes defensed and one interception, and according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, he’s the only one in that group who isn’t a defensive back.
That production put Reese in position to be named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. He stuffed the stat sheet with nine tackles, all solo, one tackle for loss, three passes defensed and one interception.
Arvell Reese best plays vs the Cardinals. Fast.
Physical. Versatile.
One of the best players on the field at 21 years old. https://t.co/oByKBI56W3
- Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) October 5, 2026
If that honor comes through, Reese would become the second Buckeye to take home NFC Defensive Player of the Week this season. The first was fellow rookie linebacker Sonny Styles, who won it last week after putting together five tackles, four solo, two passes defensed, one interception and one forced fumble against the Seattle Seahawks, the defending Super Bowl champions.
Ohio State’s defensive pipeline has been on full display early in the NFL season. Reese and Styles were two of the three Buckeyes taken in the first 11 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft, with Caleb Downs joining them as the other first-round defensive selection. Downs, a two-time unanimous All-American safety, has also started fast for the Dallas Cowboys with 27 tackles, 17 solo, one pass defensed and two forced fumbles.
Reese had already made his name in college by winning Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and earning consensus All-American honors in 2025. Now, after just a month in the league, he’s looking less like a rookie surprise and more like the next Buckeye defender to become impossible to ignore.
In Other News...
Urban Meyer Just Gave Ohio State Fans A New Indiana Debate
Indiana has become one of the more interesting talking points around Ohio States schedule, not just because Curt Cignettis team is off to a 5-0 start and sitting No. 7, but because of how quickly it has climbed into the national conversation. The Hoosiers have clearly made real progress over two seasons, and their rise has forced people around the sport to decide how much credit to give a program that has beaten the teams in front of it while still waiting for the kind of week-to-week grind that defines the Big Ten.
Urban Meyer helped stir that debate by casting doubt on how fully Indianas record should be judged, arguing that games against weaker opponents should not carry the same weight in the evaluation. For Ohio State fans, it is the kind of conversation that always circles back to the same place: whether Indiana is a legitimate threat in the league race, or simply a team whose rsum still needs a bigger test to prove it against the Buckeyes and the rest of the conference elite. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Just Proved Its National Pull Is Still Different
Ohio States 31-14 win over Iowa was the kind of showcase the program still seems to command without much effort. Even with multiple top-25 games filling the same weekend slate, the Buckeyes trip to CBS pulled the largest audience in college football, a reminder that when Ohio State is in a prominent window, people still tune in.
Jeremiah Smith helped make the afternoon feel even bigger, turning in a huge receiving performance with 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns. It was the latest sign that Ohio States national draw is about more than brand recognition alone, with a receiver already giving the offense the kind of weekly spotlight that tends to travel well beyond Columbus. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Homecoming Could Shape A Huge Recruiting Battle
Ohio States homecoming week is bringing more than just the usual buzz around Saturdays game with Maryland. Fresh off a win over Iowa, the Buckeyes are also setting the stage for a major recruiting weekend, with several top 2028 prospects expected on campus as the program keeps pushing to build out a class that already has five verbal commits.
The headliners in the group are five-star defensive linemen Jamarcus Johnson and Kellan Hall, both among the nations most coveted young players and already drawing multiple scholarship offers. For Ohio State, the chance to host that kind of talent during a home game weekend is a reminder that the battle for future recruiting classes starts well before Signing Day, and this one could become a significant early test of how strong the Buckeyes pull really is. [Read more 🡒]