Through three games, Ohio State has kept its defense moving with a wide mix of personnel and packages. But one name keeps rising above the shuffle: Riley Pettijohn.
The second-year linebacker was at it again in Saturday’s 59-3 win over Kent State, picking off a pass and finishing with three tackles. It was another eye-catching moment in a sophomore season that is quickly making him difficult to leave off the field.
Pettijohn has been deployed in a number of roles by linebackers coach James Laurinaitis and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, and each look seems to reveal a little more of what he can offer. As the Buckeyes move toward Big Ten play, his athleticism feels less like a bonus and more like something that could become central to what they do.
Ohio State has opened every game so far with Payton Pierce and Christian Alliegro at linebacker, and that pairing has remained intact. But Pettijohn is making a strong case to crack that setup. Ryan Day called him a “unique player” earlier in the week and said he’ll keep pushing for more playing time.
That kind of push may not be far away. Pettijohn logged 30 snaps against Ball State and 37 against Texas, and he piled up nine tackles across those two games. Even in the midst of the defense’s fourth-quarter issues against Texas, his speed and quickness stood out right away.
His presence could matter even more now that the defensive front has lost edge rusher Zion Grady and has had trouble consistently pressuring quarterbacks. Pettijohn gives Ohio State another athlete who can help the linebackers and, by extension, the pass rush.
There’s also a path for him to fit into a three-linebacker look, especially with Alliegro spending a good portion of three games as a walk-down linebacker. T.J. Alford could be part of that equation too.
Pettijohn arrived as a former blue-chip recruit in the 2025 class and flashed immediately with a fumble return for a touchdown in the second week of the season against Grambling. He has taken another step since then.
What his exact role looks like as conference play arrives is still unsettled, especially with Ohio State showing every sign it wants to keep Pierce and Alliegro together. But one thing is getting harder to miss: if the Buckeyes want this defense to keep growing, Pettijohn is going to need a bigger slice of the action.
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Ohio State Has A New Ranking Frustration Fans Wont Ignore
Ohio States Week 3 win over Kent State was supposed to keep the Buckeyes steady, but the AP Top 25 told a different story. After the latest poll, Ohio State slipped to No. 7, a reminder that even a clean victory does not always protect a teams place in the national conversation. Ole Miss, coming off its win over LSU, jumped to No. 4 and moved ahead of the Buckeyes along with a few other teams.
Now the focus shifts to Week 4 and a home date with Illinois, where Ohio State has another chance to make a statement. The Buckeyes do not control the poll, only the results that shape it, and the gap between winning and gaining ground can be thin this early in the season. If Ohio State wants to climb back into the top tier, the path starts with handling business and letting the ranking debate sort itself out later. [Read more 🡒]
Jeremiah Smith Just Rewrote A Piece Of Ohio State History
Jeremiah Smith spent Saturday adding another line to Ohio States receiving record book, breaking the programs career receiving yards mark in the game against Kent State. It is the kind of milestone that instantly resets the standard in Columbus, especially for a freshman who has already looked like a fixture in the Buckeyes offensive future.
The record had belonged to Michael Jenkins, one of the more important receivers in Ohio State history and a key figure in the 2002 national championship season. Jenkins had stood atop that list for more than two decades, which gives Smiths rise some real perspective and makes the new benchmark feel bigger than a single afternoon against an overmatched opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Fans Have A New Fox Frustration After Another Blowout
Ohio States latest lopsided win should have been the kind of afternoon that let the broadcast booth coast along with the Buckeyes. Instead, Fox play-by-play voice Gus Johnson drew a fresh wave of criticism from college football fans after sounding unusually flat during the 59-3 rout of Kent State, a game that quickly turned into another one of those runaway Ohio State blowouts.
The complaints centered on several of the bigger moments in the game, from a touchdown catch by Chris Henry Jr. to other Buckeye scores that barely seemed to register with Johnsons call. The reaction felt familiar to anyone who has followed Ohio State on Fox in recent seasons, because this was not the first time fans have come away from a blowout wondering why the soundtrack never matched the action. [Read more 🡒]