Ohio State has no shortage of attention-grabbing names along its defensive line entering 2026. James Smith and Eddrick Houston arrive with major upside, and John Walker comes in from UCF with proven Power Four production.
But Will Smith Jr. might be the most interesting one of the bunch.
He’s not the flashiest name in the room, yet he’s the one who enters his fourth year in Columbus at the exact moment Ohio State needs answers inside. With Kayden McDonald and Tywone Malone Jr. gone, the Buckeyes have to replace two experienced interior defensive linemen, and Smith is one of the few holdovers who already knows what meaningful snaps in this program require.
That alone makes him worth watching closely.
Smith’s path has been a slow build. Injuries limited his first season, he redshirted in 2023, played in seven games in 2024, and then made another jump in 2025.
Last season, he appeared in all 13 games, played 233 defensive and special teams snaps, and finished with 20 tackles. The numbers don’t scream breakout.
No sacks. No tackles for loss.
But that’s also the point: he wasn’t being asked to be a centerpiece yet.
That changes now.
Smith came to Ohio State as a four-star recruit after a huge senior year at Dublin Coffman, where he put up 47 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and five sacks in 10 games. He was named first-team All-Ohio and the Division I All-Central District Defensive Player of the Year. He also climbed into the group of Ohio’s top prospects after initially being viewed as more of a developmental defensive tackle.
His recruitment carried the Ohio State connection too. Smith is the son of former Buckeye All-American and 2002 national champion Will Smith Sr., and he grew up around the program and attended Ohio State camps regularly before getting an offer. He committed to the Buckeyes in January 2022.
Still, he’s never been just a legacy name. Ohio State has spent years building him up, and Smith said last spring that working with strength coach Mickey Marotti changed his body, while Larry Johnson’s development program helped turn him into a more complete interior defender.
That work matters more than ever now. Ohio State lists Smith at 6-foot-3, 303 pounds, a noticeable step up from where he was when he first arrived in Columbus. He also said in the spring that his strength and pass-rush game had improved, and that he’d been working to add more moves.
The staff has already shown plenty of trust. Smith started alongside Eddrick Houston in Ohio State’s first spring practice and got the nod over John Walker in the spring game. That doesn’t guarantee a starting job, but it does say the Buckeyes see him as more than a depth piece.
And the depth chart picture suggests a rotation anyway. Matt Patricia has indicated he expects a committee approach, and Ohio State has four legitimate upperclassmen fighting for significant interior snaps.
For Smith, that could be the ideal setup. He doesn’t need to become Kayden McDonald overnight.
He needs to be dependable, physical and steady enough to handle 20-plus snaps, stand up against the run and contribute when the defense is in passing situations.
There’s also more upside here than just holding the point of attack. Smith’s high school production showed he can make plays, and his work as a pass rusher gives him another way to grow into the role.
He doesn’t need double-digit sacks to matter. If he can squeeze the pocket, take up blockers and help free up Ohio State’s linebackers and edge rushers, his value will show up well beyond the stat sheet.
The competition around him will be fascinating. John Walker may have the highest floor as a proven nose tackle.
James Smith and Eddrick Houston bring the biggest physical upside at the three-technique. Will Smith Jr. sits in the middle of it all: experienced, developed, stronger than he was, and already trusted enough to earn real opportunities.
That makes him one of the Buckeyes’ biggest wild cards this season. A year ago, he was waiting behind the veterans. Now the veterans are gone, and the opening is there.
If he keeps growing as a run defender and turns the pass-rush progress he talked about in the spring into real disruption on Saturdays, Smith could move from rotational piece to one of the most trusted defensive tackles on the roster.
For a player who has spent the early part of his Ohio State career waiting his turn, the chance is finally here.
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