Ohio State’s defensive line is built for volume, but the real question is whether Larry Johnson can turn all that depth into something sharper than just a deep rotation.
The Buckeyes usually live in the land of obvious answers up front. This group feels different.
There isn’t a clean, can’t-miss star staring everyone in the face yet, and the transfers may need time to settle in alongside the returnees. Even with Arthur Smith and Johnson on the staff, this is the kind of room that could require a lot of mixing and matching before the best combinations come into focus.
That’s where the optimism comes from. As Land-Grant Holy Land’s Cole VanWiechen put it, the Buckeyes have enough bodies to make the lack of a clear headliner matter less than it normally would.
"The Buckeyes could rotate Jackson, Grady, Atkinson and Russaw at defensive end while using Houston, Smith, Walker and Smith Jr. inside," VanWiechen wrote. "Different players can be used for different situations.
Bigger bodies can handle early-down work. Explosive rushers can enter on passing downs.
Fresh legs can attack tired offensive linemen late in games.
"That is how Ohio State can turn depth into a weapon. The Buckeyes do not need Jackson to produce 12+ sacks.
They do not need Houston to become an All-American overnight. They do not need Grady to become a star as a sophomore or Wilder to immediately play 30+ snaps a game. ...
They just need three or four of these players to get better."
Two of the most interesting additions are former Alabama defenders Qua Russaw and James Smith. Russaw, an EDGE, and Smith, a three-tech, arrived after the end of Nick Saban’s run in Tuscaloosa, and the article points out that Alabama was no longer operating at the same defensive level by the time they got there. Their path through the Alabama-to-Ohio State pipeline makes them especially intriguing, and both could wind up helping set the tone for this line.
The piece also points to former Alabama defensive back Earl Little Jr., who said the Tide wasn’t competitive in the weight room as OSU is during Saban’s last season. Against that backdrop, Russaw and Smith are now walking into a different environment entirely, one the article frames as a serious culture. Both are former Carver High School stars in Montgomery, and both are described as players in a strong position to keep improving.
For Ohio State, though, the biggest pressure points may be the familiar names already in the program. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is the one who still feels like he should be breaking games open off the edge.
His development has been slow, but the hope is that it finally turns into a big production season this fall. Jackson has shown he can set the edge and keep runners from getting outside, but the next step is obvious: more sacks.
That task gets easier if the middle holds up, and that puts the spotlight on John Walker and Eddrick Houston. Walker, the UCF transfer nose tackle, has a major job anchoring the interior. Houston, meanwhile, is expected to line up inside more than any other defensive lineman, and he needs to be sturdier in the passing game after his run defense outpaced that part of his skill set.
If Jackson and Houston both take that leap, the whole front starts to look a lot more dangerous. That’s the version of this defense Ohio State is chasing - not just depth for depth’s sake, but depth that actually turns into production.
In Other News...
Jeremiah Smith Just Put Serious Weight Behind One Buckeyes Freshman
Big Ten Media Days usually bring the usual summer polish, but Jeremiah Smith gave Ohio State a little more than a canned answer when the conversation turned to freshman receiver Brock Boyd. Smith made it clear he has noticed Boyds playmaking already, and the praise carried extra weight coming from the Buckeyes top returning wideout, who knows what it looks like when a young receiver starts earning trust quickly.
Boyds path into the lineup is part of a broader competition that is still taking shape, with five receivers battling for three steady spots behind Smith. Brandon Inniss, Devin McCuin, Kyle Parker and Chris Henry Jr. are all in that mix, and Boyds emergence only adds another layer to a group that is trying to sort itself out before the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Just Hinted At An Ohio State Line Shakeup
Ohio States offensive line is still in the middle of a reset after last seasons uneven play, and Ryan Day made it clear the staff is not treating the coming weeks as a formality. With four starters back and a vacancy at right guard after Tegra Tshabolas departure, the Buckeyes are trying to sort out a group that can give the offense more stability and help quarterback Julian Sayin settle in with a cleaner picture up front.
Day pointed to Phillip Daniels as one of the players whose practice work could help determine the best five, and that kind of flexibility matters because the staff is still weighing how the pieces fit. The right guard competition is part of it, but so is the broader question of whether Ohio State can lock in a lineup early enough to avoid another season of shuffling, especially with Day saying this is the deepest the line has been since he took over. [Read more 🡒]
National Buzz Is Building Around Ohio States Next Receiver Threat
National attention is starting to follow Chris Henry Jr., and for good reason. Pete Nakos recently put the Ohio State freshman on his list of true freshmen who could make an immediate impact this season, a sign that the buzz around the receiver room is already reaching beyond Columbus. With Jeremiah Smith established as the headliner, the Buckeyes are still sorting out who else can step into meaningful snaps, and Henry Jr. has the kind of talent that keeps him in that conversation.
The opportunity is real because the depth chart behind Smith is still unsettled, leaving several young receivers to battle for limited spots. If Henry Jr. keeps flashing in camp, he could put himself in position to matter right away, which is exactly why his name is drawing so much interest before the season even starts. For Ohio State, the appeal is obvious: another high-end receiver threat emerging early would only deepen a room that already carries plenty of intrigue. [Read more 🡒]