Matt Patricia may have oversold the exact number, but his bigger point about Ohio State’s 2026 defense still lands.
When the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator met with reporters last week, he spent part of the opening moments turning the usual media setup into a back-and-forth. Then, while talking about the depth and experience on his side of the ball, he asked a question of his own: “I actually was going to look at this,” Patricia said.
“Do we have more snaps on the field, potentially this year, of guys returning than we did last year? We might, right?”
Right.
Well, sort of.
If you compare projected starters to projected starters, the answer is no. Ohio State’s 2026 starting defense is set to enter the season with 7,622 defensive snaps played before the year begins, while last year’s starting group had 8,010. That’s a difference of 388 snaps, which means Patricia’s claim doesn’t quite hold up in that narrow view.
The projected 2026 starting 11 includes Kenyatta Jackson, Beau Atkinson, James Smith, Eddrick Houston, Christian Alliegro, Payton Pierce, Devin Sanchez, Jermaine Mathews, Jay Timmons, Earl Little Jr. and Jaylen McClain. One obvious wrinkle: Timmons is a freshman, and last year’s team did not open the season with a freshman in the starting lineup.
But the story changes once you zoom out from the starters and look at the full rotation.
Using the 15 players expected to log the most snaps for Ohio State this season, the Buckeyes do have the more seasoned group. That projected 2026 rotation enters the year with 9,459 combined defensive snaps, compared with 8,325 for the 2025 roster.
That gap is meaningful, and it reflects how much more depth Patricia may be able to use this season. The 2026 group brings eight players into the year with at least 800 defensive snaps already on the ledger. Last year’s defense had only three such players, with a big drop-off after Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles and Davison Igbinosun.
That top-end experience mattered for Ohio State’s defense a year ago. The Buckeyes finished first nationally in scoring defense and total defense, and they leaned heavily on stars like Arvell Reese, Styles, Kayden McDonald and Downs to drive that dominance.
Now the challenge shifts. Ohio State has to replace four top-36 NFL Draft picks, and that is where the expanded depth chart becomes important. Players such as Devin Sanchez and Payton Pierce appear positioned for breakout seasons, but Patricia’s defense may ask more of a larger group than the one Ohio State relied on last year.
That is why the coordinator keeps coming back to experience. He said he expects more rotation at all three levels, and he believes that kind of depth helps keep the defense steady when the pressure rises.
“When we get in the game, it’s not going to be a whole lot of panic,” Patricia said. “Young players or guys that haven’t played a lot, the game can get pretty - it can be a lot of stress, a lot of panic in those deals.
I think what you’re looking for is for a defense to not panic, be patient and be able to read through. I will lean on that experience to make sure the patience is there.”
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