James Smith arrives in Columbus with the kind of profile that turns heads before he even takes a snap. The former Alabama defensive tackle lands at No. 17 in the first Buckeye 20 of the 2026 season, and Ohio State clearly expects him to be more than just another name in the rotation.
A five-star recruit in the 2023 class, Smith has the build and tools that jump off the page. At 6-foot-3 and 306 pounds, he brings real power, but he’s not just a space-eater.
His first step is quick, his hands are violent, and he has the kind of athletic pop that lets him win with either brute force or burst. That combination is exactly why he’s being talked about as one of the biggest additions to the Buckeyes’ defensive front.
The production at Alabama was uneven, though. Smith posted the lowest PFF grade among Crimson Tide defenders last season at 55.3, which says plenty about the consistency issues he dealt with.
Even so, he still put together a solid stat line in 2025 with 28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. Ohio State believes there’s more in there, especially after an offseason spent sharpening his technique with Larry Johnson and improving his conditioning with Mickey Marotti.
The fit in Ohio State’s defensive tackle room isn’t completely straightforward. Smith plays the same 3-technique spot as Eddrick Houston, while John Walker is a strong candidate to start at nose tackle.
That means Smith isn’t locked into a starting role. But his ceiling is hard to miss, and the Buckeyes seem to view him as one of the two most dangerous upside bets in the group alongside Houston, especially when it comes to wrecking plays behind the line of scrimmage.
That kind of ceiling is why Smith is being treated as one of Ohio State’s top portal additions this offseason. If he becomes a steady force in the defensive line rotation and starts matching the talent he’s flashed since high school, an All-Big Ten season and a path toward the early rounds of the 2027 NFL draft are both on the table.
Larry Johnson said this spring, “I think he's making a jump. I think it's a work in progress. There’s a different culture here … he's trying to learn to play how the Rushmen are doing things, and sometimes that takes time, but he's making progress, and that's the key.”
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Kansas State coach Collin Klein said Fitzpatrick has not yet reached the health benchmarks needed for a return, and while football is not being ruled out completely, the focus has shifted to his long-term well-being. For Buckeye fans who followed his career in Columbus, it is a sobering reminder that some roster stories are measured less by depth charts than by whether a player can get healthy enough to simply move forward. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Legend Questions What Ryan Day Took From The Game
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Cardale Jones was among the former Buckeyes who pushed back, saying he disagreed with the change and stressing the value of keeping Senior Day at the end of the year. The debate now sits at the intersection of tradition and modern college football, where even long-standing rituals can feel unsettled, and Ohio States move has left some wondering whether this is a one-time adjustment or a sign of more changes to come. [Read more 🡒]