Six Buckeyes On Defense Who Have Helped Themselves The Most In Fall Camp

Fall Camp is technically over for the Buckeyes as they have moved out of the team hotel with classes back underway on Tuesday. Practices now take place in the late afternoon and will eventually end under the lights in the coming months.

Camp is always an interesting time for young players as they have to find a way to fight through all of the adversity they are experiencing. It is also a time for upperclassmen to step into a position battle and come through it a different person.

Both of these scenarios have occurred for a number of players on this year’s Ohio State football team. Yesterday, we discussed a half-dozen players on the offensive side of the ball. Today, we move to defense.

Defensive Tackle Kayden McDonald

The Buckeyes needed a young defensive tackle to step up this year and sophomore Kayden McDonald has done that every step of the way. It began with bowl prep and has continued into fall camp and preseason practice. He is listed at 6-foot-3 and 326 pounds, but he is not just a run-stopping block-occupier. McDonald was disruptive in camp and has continued to build confidence in himself and the coaches. He will likely be the first defensive tackle off the bench this year.

Defensive End Kenyatta Jackson

This won’t be the first Ohio State camp where redshirt sophomore defensive end Kenyatta Jackson has stood out. He’s always been an explosive and dynamic athlete as a pass-rusher, but it’s the rest of the job required of a defensive lineman where work was needed. That work has continued, and even though he dealt with a foot injury, the expectations following camp are that Jackson will be a busy member of this Ohio State defensive end rotation.

Linebacker Sonny Styles

Junior Sonny Styles made the move from defensive back to linebacker in the winter, then spent most of his time with the twos at Will linebacker in the spring. He opened preseason practice with the twos but has spent most of his time with the ones since then. He is competing with junior CJ Hicks for the starting job, though he ended fall camp in the lead. The most consistent linebacker will receive the most snaps, and right now Styles is in his comfort zone playing closer to the line of scrimmage.

Linebacker Arvell Reese

The hype train for sophomore linebacker Arvell Reese has left the station and anybody trying to get on board now is gonna have to take an Uber to the next stop. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has always been high on Reese’s potential, but that potential started to turn into production this month. Hype doesn’t ensure playing time, but the word out of camp has been more than just hype. The depth chart is not favorable at middle linebacker for him, but you can’t play linebacker at Ohio State and want an easy road.

Safety Jaylen McClain

Jaylen McClain wasn’t the bluest of blue-chip recruits when he signed with Ohio State last December, but he has sure looked like it since he enrolled in January. McClain was one of the standout freshmen in the spring and he has now played his way into one of the top four safeties on the team. He is always around the football. He is looking like he could be the heir apparent to Caleb Downs at free safety in 2026.

Cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt

Redshirt freshman Calvin Simpson-Hunt enrolled in June of 2023 and when he arrived it was a lot like a tourist being dropped in a foreign country who only speaks the language enough to get in trouble. Now, after living among the receivers he has had to defend the past two years, he speaks fluent lockdown cornerback. Playing time won’t be easy because the Buckeyes have the best pair of cornerbacks in college football — and possibly the best backup cornerback as well, but Calvin Simpson-Hunt gave as good as he got in fall camp.

Don’t Forget

• Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Hero Kanu is establishing himself as a guy who will figure into the rotation on the interior.
• Jim Knowles has said that he is comfortable having fifth-year senior defensive end Mitchell Melton on the field on any given down. He is one of the quickest players off the edge.
• This is the most work junior linebacker CJ Hicks has ever gotten in a fall cap and it’s paying off. The staff knows what he does best, now it’s a matter of making that part of the game plan.
• We probably could just list all of the linebackers here, but freshman Payton Pierce’s downhill style has earned a bunch of praise from people inside the program. He could be one of those guys who “just shows up” whenever he gets into a game.
• There are some All-Americans on this defense not being talked about because they are all doing what has been expected. Don’t view an omission an anything other than people doing exactly what they should be doing.

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