2024 Freshman Class Report: Defensive Tackle Eric Mensah

This is the 10th installment in a series where Buckeye Huddle looks back on each member of Ohio State’s 2024 signing class and the impact they had in their first season, as well as the impact they could have during the upcoming 2025 season. Up next is defensive tackle Eric Mensah.

Eric Mensah came to Ohio State from Mountain View High School in Stafford, Virginia where he was named the Commonwealth District Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He also earned Class 6, Region B Defensive Player of the Year honors.

As a recruit, Mensah was ranked the No. 90 defensive lineman in the 2024 recruiting class per the 247Sports Composite. He was ranked the No. 13 prospect in the state and the No. 795 player in the nation overall. After originally committing to Virginia Tech, Mensah eventually flipped to Ohio State after the Buckeyes offered him in September of his senior season.

2024 Season

Eric Mensah enrolled early for the Buckeyes in 2024, which helped with acclimation but it didn’t really lead to much playing time. He played two or three snaps in each of Ohio State’s first three games but did not record a statistic and did not play again after the third week of the season.

Mensah was fourth or fifth in the pecking order at nose tackle last year, which made playing time exceedingly difficult to find. He was the youngest of the group, and redshirting was always going to be the most likely outcome as a true freshman.

So Now What For Eric Mensah?

The Buckeyes lose starting nose tackle Ty Hamilton from last season, which means everybody moves up a spot in spring ball. Kayden McDonald, Will Smith, Jr., and Eric Mensah are the three returnees with the most experience at nose tackle. Mensah and Smith combined for 42 snaps last year, so their experience is still quite limited.

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson will have to decide if he’s moving any of his tackles around, or if it is going to stay the way it was last year. If so, there could be snaps available for the No. 3 nose tackle. Of course, there’s nothing that says Mensah couldn’t move to No. 2 on the depth chart with development and opportunity.

The Buckeyes lost three of their top five defensive tackles from last season, so those numbers need to be replaced. Ideally, that replacement would come from the players already on campus. The reality of the situation, however, is that if there is an experienced defensive tackle in the transfer portal, the Buckeyes may be in the market.

Eric Mensah will get plenty of reps in spring ball next month. How well he and his teammates handle those reps will determine how aggressive Ohio State will be in the transfer portal.

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