Ohio State’s defense was already elite last season, but the one area that never quite matched the unit’s overall dominance was takeaway production. Even with Matt Patricia in his first year as defensive coordinator and a stretch that saw the Buckeyes hold each of their first five opponents under 10 points, Ohio State finished with just eight interceptions in 14 games.
That total stands out even more when you zoom out. Jermaine Mathews Jr., Davison Igbinosun and Caleb Downs led the team with two picks apiece, and over the last three seasons the Buckeyes have managed only 25 interceptions. For a defense that spent much of 2025 smothering opponents, that’s a surprisingly modest number.
Still, there’s a case for a much bigger jump this fall.
Ohio State lost a starting safety and a starting cornerback, but the secondary has been reinforced with a wave of transfers who could change the turnover picture fast. Earl Little Jr. arrives from Florida State after grabbing four interceptions last season, including a run of picks in three straight games that made him the first Florida State player since 2016 to do it. Terry Moore comes over from Duke with three career interceptions and a reputation as one of the ACC’s best safeties before a knee injury ended his 2024 season and kept him out of 2025.
The Buckeyes also added cornerbacks Cam Calhoun from Alabama and Dominick Kelly from Georgia. Both are clearly talented, but neither could crack the starting lineups at their previous schools. That kind of chip-on-the-shoulder arrival can lead to aggressive play, and aggressive play can lead to turnovers.
There’s also a path for the returning corners to help drive the number up. Mathews is the most experienced corner back, which could push opposing quarterbacks toward the other side, where Devin Sanchez enters the year with more college experience under his belt after a freshman season that should set him up for a jump.
The schedule could help too. Ohio State is set to face a lot more teams willing to throw the ball around in 2026, starting with a road trip to Austin to meet Arch Manning and Texas.
In Big Ten play, the Buckeyes will see Indiana, USC, Oregon and Nebraska, all of which feature quarterbacks comfortable airing it out. The regular season ends with Michigan and Bryce Underwood in Columbus, and given how little development showed up last year, two interceptions in that game would not be a surprise.
The front seven could chip in as well. Linebackers coach James Laurinaitis had nine interceptions in his own career, and he’ll be passing along what he knows about getting hands on passes. With more new starters on defense and a schedule that asks more of the secondary, Ohio State may need those extra takeaways to shorten the field for its offense.
That’s why the bold prediction here is a simple one: the Buckeyes will be much better at intercepting the football this season, and maybe by a lot. With the talent they’ve added, the quarterbacks they’ll face, and the turnover opportunities that should come with both, Ohio State has a real shot to post its highest interception total since 2019, when it finished with 15.
In Other News...
Former Five Star Buckeye Could Haunt Ohio State At Rival School
A former Ohio State receiver is making noise at Notre Dame, where Mylan Graham put together a strong spring and quickly worked his way into the mix for a major role. The move matters for Buckeye fans because it puts a once-highly touted talent on the other side of a future matchup, and it comes at a position where Notre Dame is still sorting out its best options.
Grahams rise has him positioned with Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse as part of the Irishs top receiver group heading into the season, a development that could make him a familiar name in Columbus for the wrong reasons. Ohio State has reason to feel good about its own receiver room, but the possibility of seeing a former five-star flourish elsewhere is the kind of subplot that lingers until the teams finally line up. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Wide Receiver U Crown Is Suddenly Being Challenged
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The bigger picture is why it matters to Ohio State fans: the Buckeyes have long worn the Wide Receiver U label, and that standard is now being tested by a program with serious ambition and a coach who knows how to sell it. Oregon still trails the Buckeyes in NFL receiver production, but with four wideouts already in the league and more talent coming in, the Ducks are making a real case that the gap is closing. [Read more 🡒]
National Analyst Thinks Ohio State Already Has Jeremiah Smiths Successor
Jeremiah Smith has already put himself in position to chase Ohio States all-time receiving marks, and the conversation around the Buckeyes wideout room has quickly shifted to who might be next. College football analyst David Pollack recently pointed to true freshman Chris Henry Jr. as a player who could keep that pipeline rolling, a notable endorsement for a program that has turned elite receiver recruiting into an expectation rather than a surprise.
Henry arrived in Columbus as the top wide receiver recruit in the 2026 class, giving Ohio State another high-end talent to develop behind Smiths rise. His path to campus carried some late uncertainty, though, after Brian Hartlines departure to South Florida shook up the picture, and the Buckeyes had to hold off other programs before Henry ultimately stayed with Ohio State. [Read more 🡒]