COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football’s defense once thrived behind a single, lethal edge rusher whose presence either blew up plays or demanded special attention from opponents.
Joey Bosa barely came off the field in 2014. He and Tyvis Powell played about three quarters of the team’s snaps a year later. As recently as 2018, only 18 defensive ends in the country were on the field more than Chase Young.
Recently, though, defensive end play has been all about the rotation. The past two seasons have featured veterans such as Zach Harrison and Tyreke Smith hitting their career ceilings, promising young players such as J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer reaching for theirs, and a handful of other players who fall somewhere in the middle.
Recommended Buckeyes stories
• When does Ohio State football’s spring practice schedule begin?
• With no title, did Ohio State ‘waste’ two seasons of C.J. Stroud? College Football Survivor Show
From both an experience and proven performance standpoint, that group will be top-heavy this fall. Tuimoloau led in snaps last year, though his 504 reps ranked only 169th among the nation’s defensive ends, per Pro Football Focus. Sawyer, whether in a conventional role or as the hybrid Jack or some combination, projects for a starter’s workload.
No Buckeye defensive end has played even a third of that position group’s snaps since Young and Powell in 2018. (Not even Young in his otherworldly 2019, though he did miss two games due to suspension.) Defensive line coach Larry Johnson has played a lot of bodies in an effort to conjure a greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts outcome.
To do so again this fall would mean a heavy reliance on some talented-but-inexperienced players. Caden Curry flashed playmaking potential with his mop-up opportunities last season. Kenyatta Jackson played a mere 24 snaps in his three games as a true freshman. Another first-year player, Omari Abor, played only one game due to injury.
Incoming freshman Joshua Mickens may end up as a Jack/Leo contender, but he will not arrive until the summer. For that matter, 2022 senior Tyler Friday has not officially declared whether he will utilize his sixth season. But barring a transfer portal addition, edge rushing responsibilities will likely fall to those other five returnees.
Based on Johnson’s previous deployment, Jackson and Abor could benefit the most from the veteran attrition at that position. They were ranked 60th and 63rd, respectively, in the 247Sports national composite for the 2022 class. If Tuimoloau and Sawyer remain on a three-year trajectory for the NFL, one or both of those redshirt freshmen will be third-year starters in 2024.
That audition begins now with both striving to earn as many snaps as possible.
Curry could also be a Jack/Leo candidate. His versatility will be his greatest asset toward a bigger second-year responsibility.
If the young options do not pan out, though, Tuimoloau and Sawyer might get turned loose in a way the Buckeyes have not seen in five years.
Tuimoloau enters the spring as linebacker Tommy Eichenberg’s only real competition to be considered the defense’s best player. While not yet a generational talent, his game-wrecking day at Penn State last season qualified as a generational performance.
He maximized a moment that day. What if he begins replicating that sort of ability, or something approaching, it on a weekly basis?
Sawyer tied for the team lead with 4.5 sacks while playing the third-most snaps among defensive ends. Yet neither he (6.84) nor Tuimoloau (6.34) recorded a pressure-per-snap rate anywhere near the most lauded edge rushers in the country. UCLA’s Laiatu Latu (13.15), for instance, made a greater impact with a similar workload to those Buckeyes. Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. (9.48) played 181 more snaps than Tuimoloau.
Some teams keep their star defensive ends on the field. Those teams also have no-doubt stars on which to rely. It’s a lofty standard to hold someone to, but it’s also one to which OSU itself had so recently become accustomed.
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
Ad Choices