Arvell Reese Piecing It Together At Linebacker

This past Saturday was the first time Ohio State sophomore linebacker Arvell Resse has seen action on defense in his Buckeye career, and it was a pretty emphatic defensive debut.

Reese played in eight games last season as a true freshman, but only saw time on special teams.

This past weekend in the Buckeyes’ 52-6 win over Akron, Reese finished with four tackles and a tackle for loss, stepping into a linebacker rotation that was missing starting middle linebacker Cody Simon.

Without Simon, Ohio State moved junior Will linebacker Sonny Styles to the middle, and junior CJ Hicks stepped in for Styles at Will. Reese was then the third linebacker in the game as the Buckeyes’ backup middle linebacker.

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis had a busy preseason camp because everybody in the linebacker room was doing something new, or more of something old than they’d ever done before. Styles, for instance, had just moved from safety in January. Hicks, meanwhile, played almost twice as many snaps on Saturday as his previous OSU high.

Overall, the linebackers helped hold Akron to just 47 yards rushing on 33 attempts.

What did head coach Ryan Day think of the effort of the group overall?

“It seemed to me like they played hard,” he said. “I thought Sonny moving positions here within a week and a half of playing the season, he handled that very well. I thought his communication was good. He got everybody on the same page. That was good. I just think there needs to be overall consistency. Each guy has their own thing they need to work on, and I know James is working on that.”

Being a season opener, this was the first opportunity for young players to show that they belonged. Reese could be seen running sideline to sideline, making calls, and looking the part of an Ohio State middle linebacker. He filled gaps but also chased ball carriers down the line of scrimmage, announcing his arrival with a massive overhand clubbing at the football.

Asked to assess Reese’s play, Day sang his praises but also explained what made his play happen.

“Well, the way that Arvell played, he deserves more reps, but I think it has to do with his preparation,” Day explained. “There was a moment last week where his preparation was just okay, and then there was a point in the week where he really dug in and did a really good job with his preparation. I think Jim and James would tell you the same thing, and I think that allowed him to play fast.”

Getting the linebackers up to speed is both a literal and figurative task, and they are both very much connected. Playing with speed on the field means that a linebacker understands exactly what he’s seeing. You can’t have the former without the latter.

“That’s a big part of playing linebacker,” Day explained. “There’s just a lot that comes with it. I review their tips and their tests every week, and there’s a lot in that packet. He had to prepare at a high level, and once you do that, then the game can slow down for you. If he continues to do that, you see the athletic ability and the strain. That’s what I like the most.”

Day has challenged his team to be the hardest-playing team in college football this year, and it was impossible to watch the Buckeyes on Saturday and not notice the way Arvell Reese chased after the football.

“Some of those reps that he had, he’s going as hard as he possibly can from point A to point B,” Day said. “We can build on that. Any coach in America would love to have somebody like that.”

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