‘Cold-Blooded Gentleman’ Ty Hamilton Making An Impact For Buckeyes

Defensive tackles can often go overlooked and unseen during a football game. That doesn’t mean they’re not doing their jobs, it just means their jobs don’t often lead to any public glory.

Ohio State fifth-year senior Ty Hamilton is one of those defensive tackles, but he’s becoming more and more noticeable.

Hamilton started eight games last season at nose tackle for the Buckeyes and has 13 career starts to his credit. Nose tackles aren’t supposed to be the most active defensive linemen around, but Hamilton finished 10th on the team last year with 38 tackles, tied with All-Big Ten defensive end JT Tuimoloau.

While linemates Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, and Tyleik Williams have gained more publicity, Hamilton is busy gaining Defensive Player of the Game awards (see: Western Michigan).

It’s no surprise that Hamilton, who has never been a problem at Ohio State and has only gotten better and better every year, is a coach’s dream.

“First off, Ty has been reliable, durable, somebody that we can count on for a few years now,” head coach Ryan Day said on Tuesday. “He’s put time and he’s put effort and he’s put work into this program and he was the player of the game on defense this week. You just can’t say enough about somebody like this. He’s not somebody that garners a whole bunch of attention or makes it about him. He’s the ultimate team player.”

Hamilton (8) and Williams (9), are currently fifth and third in tackles on this Ohio State defense, respectively. Defensive tackles aren’t supposed to be this high on the list, and while it’s still early, Hamilton’s impact has not been a surprise to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

“He’s been making an impact since I’ve been here, but he has developed into a dominant player,” Knowles said. “He’s a guy that can control the interior of the line of scrimmage, and that’s a big deal. I’ve always said when your defensive tackles make tackles, it allows you to do other things in coverage and how many people you commit down to the box.”

Hamilton’s impact was felt rather emphatically on the second play from scrimmage in last Saturday’s game against Western Michigan when he blasted Broncos’ center Jacob Gideon into the backfield and tackled running back Zahir Abdus-Salaam for no gain.

Pretty crazy first play of the game from Ty Hamilton (1-tech) pic.twitter.com/dfQM10i8k5

— Counter Trey Aesthetic (@trey_counter) September 9, 2024

Ty Hamilton did exactly what Knowles wants — he was a tackle making a tackle.

“Ty is quiet, but he’s like a cold-blooded gentleman,” Knowles said. “He really is a force that I think is sometimes maybe difficult to see, but when you watch the tape, he is knocking people back and really just creating some difficult situations for the offense.”

Western Michigan’s difficult situations continued for the rest of the game. Hamilton wasn’t responsible for all of them, but he certainly had his fair share.

It won’t be the last time he walks softly and carries a very big hit stick.

“He doesn’t say a whole lot but he goes to work every day and you can just count on him to be there,” Day said. “Those are the people that a great team needs. A foundation of people who are unselfish, hardworking, and understand what it means to be a Buckeye.”

Ty Hamilton is just two games into his final turn as an Ohio State football player. He has gotten better every step of the way, which is why it isn’t difficult for Ryan Day to imagine where he could be by the end of the season.

“He’s become a very, very good player,” Day said. “And if he can continue to play and take off from where he was on Saturday night, then you’re looking at an all-conference player for sure.”

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