Closer Look: Eli Lee A Physical Run-Stopping Middle Linebacker

Eli Lee was a two-time First-Team All-State linebacker at Archbishop Hoban in Akron, Ohio. As a senior, he posted 119 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one interception. He was named the Division II Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts.

As a recruit, Lee was a three-star prospect who was ranked the No. 64 linebacker in the 2024 class, and the No. 592 player overall per the 247Sports Composite. Lee was ranked the No. 23 player in the state of Ohio. He signed with Ohio State over offers from West Virginia, Iowa State, Toledo, and others.

What To Like

Eli Lee (6-3 223) has the size to play middle linebacker, which is where he spent his spring for the Buckeyes as an early enrollee. He will continue to get bigger and stronger, but the frame is already there to hold up to the challenges of playing in the box. Lee was a productive high school linebacker, which is a good sign for his future.

Lee was one of three linebackers signed by the Buckeyes in the 2025 recruiting class, and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis has made it a point to mention Lee when others may spend more time asking about higher-ranked classmates Riley Pettijohn and TJ Alford. Ohio State was Lee’s biggest offer by far, so it’s clear that Laurinaitis has his own personal thoughts on what kind of player Lee can be.

The clips below are from his senior season and show a middle linebacker who happily exists at the point of attack.

Ohio State freshman LB Eli Lee became well known as a run stopper during his high school career. pic.twitter.com/KQoZOl0z9T
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) May 24, 2025

The Potential

It is easy to look at Eli Lee and see the kind of Ohio high school middle linebacker that should always end up as a Buckeye. He’s big, he anticipates well, and he finishes as a tackler. Many times in the past, however, Lee would have been the kind of linebacker that maybe didn’t land an Ohio State offer but then went on to star somewhere else in the Big Ten.

Lee has the potential to be the linebacker that didn’t get away. The process won’t be easy or happen overnight and will require the kind of patience that is becoming rarer and rarer in college football. The competition will be daily, which should only help him grow.

The best players will play — and the more capable a linebacker is of playing all three downs, the more likely he is to see the field. Lee is known as a run stopper, but he also seems comfortable enough against the pass.

Eli Lee is known as a run-stopping middle linebacker, but he's also comfortable against the pass. pic.twitter.com/N9JyzsWPBA
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) May 24, 2025

The Expectations

All three of Ohio State’s freshman linebackers enrolled early, so when fall camp starts in August, it won’t be their first time suiting up. In the spring, Eli Lee was the No. 4 middle linebacker, behind starter Arvell Reese, sophomore Payton Pierce, and classmate Riley Pettijohn.

The Buckeyes’ two inside linebacker positions were interchangeable this spring and the plan is for that to continue when it is needed this season. Picking up a secondary position is more difficult for true freshmen, however, so Lee and his classmates may be more singular in their respective roles.

Special teams will be an option this year for Lee. If he doesn’t win a spot there, then a redshirt season is almost a certainty. Six of Ohio State’s 10 defensive signees in 2024 redshirted, so it’s a fairly standard result. Especially when players can still play in up to four regular season games and all of the postseason games and still redshirt.

Here is Eli Lee as a blitzer. The Buckeye defense does better when their middle linebacker is an effective blitzer. pic.twitter.com/wRlOzNAXFq
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) May 24, 2025

The Bottom Line

The Buckeyes will likely be okay this season without Eli Lee on the field, but everything he can learn this year will be put to good use next year. Ohio State will be losing senior Sonny Styles after this season — and it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Arvell Reese could also choose the NFL. Either way, there will be opportunities to move up next year.

Lee will improve his chances of playing if he can show he’s more than “just a middle linebacker.” Can he play Will linebacker as well? The better he understands the defense, the more he’ll be able to show what he can do. The depth chart is cloudy but also not completely loaded with experienced possibilities. If he is a quick learner and can take the meetings and film work to the field, his lack of experience will only hold him back so much. But that’s a pretty big “if” for a true freshman linebacker.

Below you can get a look at how Lee’s final spring practice went.