Replacing Cody Simon: Buckeyes Search For New Man In Middle

This is the fourth in a series looking at how the Buckeyes will be replacing their departed starters in 2025. Up next is the middle linebacker spot vacated by fifth-year senior Cody Simon.

Cody Simon was the rare five-year contributor in college football, but he saved his best for last as a fifth-year senior in 2024. He led the Buckeyes with 112 tackles in 15 games this past season, finishing second with 12.5 tackles for loss, and third with 7.0 sacks.

Simon’s career at Ohio State was anything but straightforward. His freshman year was the COVID season of 2020, and then he started 10 games as a true sophomore — with nine of those starts at middle linebacker. Tommy Eichenberg then took over the job at middle linebacker in 2022 and 2023. Simon had five starts throughout the 2023 season as he remained an important piece of the defense despite no longer having a starting job of his own.

With the Buckeyes losing Eichenberg after the 2023 season, there was nobody in the football facility who was concerned about Cody Simon’s ability to fill the role. Prior to the season, he was named captain and given the Block O jersey. He was the perfect example of being patient and yet always ready. When his number was called this past season, he played the position better than any Buckeye in recent memory.

The Candidates

Sophomore Arvell Reese played the third-highest number of snaps among the Ohio State linebackers in 2024. His emergence essentially put the writing on the wall for redshirt sophomore Gabe Powers that he should probably go ahead and enter the transfer portal.

While Cody Simon was the starting middle linebacker in 2024, the starter in the opening game was junior Sonny Styles. Simon missed the game, so the Buckeyes went with Styles. He has shown the ability to play the position. As a true freshman in 2024, Payton Pierce ended up seeing more snaps than Powers as well. Pierce was a tackling machine as a Texas high schooler.

Linebackers coach James Laurinaitis also brought in three true freshmen, all of whom could end up at middle linebacker down the road.

Spring Outlook

Arvell Reese will almost certainly open spring ball as the No. 1 middle linebacker. He had 43 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sacks this past season. Sonny Styles should then be back at the Will linebacker position he played in 2024. As an aside, it is going to be interesting to see how Styles grows now that he’ll finally be playing the same position two years in a row.

There will need to be a second-team middle linebacker in the spring, so that will likely be Payton Pierce, as he has the most returning experience, though it’s not exactly a lot. Classmate Garrett Stover will probably be at Will linebacker. The positions are ideally interchangeable — or at least they were in the previous administration’s defense.

Freshmen Eli Lee, TJ Alford, and Riley Pettijohn are all active and physical. They are all currently enrolled and will take part in spring ball. It will be interesting to see where James Laurinaitis slots them all initially and how that changes throughout camp.

Best Bet

There’s no squinting needed to see Arvell Reese as Ohio State’s starting middle linebacker this season. He played the position in 2024 and made some plays. Like any young player, he needs to be more consistent — which will come with more reps and playing time.

Reese is big (6-4 238), and he can run from hashmark to sideline. Expectations are high, but he’s not going to have the veterans around him like Cody Simon did.

If it is decided at some point that Reese isn’t ready, he and Sonny Styles could just trade places. Or maybe they’ll stay where they are and Styles will handle the signals as he did at times throughout the 2024 season.

Regardless, even in losing a productive leader like Cody Simon, there doesn’t appear to be any concerns about Arvell Reese’s ability to step in and step up in 2025.

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