Ohio State Defensive Tackles 'Gonna Exceed Expectations'

When spring camp was over for the Buckeyes, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said his team was going to look to the transfer portal for some potential help at defensive tackle.

Aside from the lack of experience at quarterback, the questionable depth and returning production on the interior of the defensive line has been the biggest question mark for the defending national champions.

Despite looking into the portal, the Buckeyes didn’t see an upgrade available to them.

“It got to the point where there was just for us, there was certain people that were in the portal, and the question was are they better than what we have, and the decision that was made was no,” Day said last week. “We’ve got to develop these guys. We’ve got to get them stronger. We’ve got to get more out of them. We’ve got to maximize these guys, and that’s what we’ve got to do, and that’s what the focus is going to be.”

After plenty of questions being thrown their way, this was at least some sort of vote of confidence from the Ohio State coaching staff.

Junior nose tackle Kayden McDonald and sophomore three technique Eddrick Houston are expected to be the starting pair up front, but they have a combined 27 career tackles — and 20 of those belong to McDonald.

Behind them are third-year players Will Smith, Jr. and Jason Moore, along with fifth-year senior Tywone Malone. The room is full of upperclassmen, but they’ve combined for a total of 3.5 career tackles for loss.

There are plenty of questions, but senior linebacker Sonny Styles believes there are also plenty of answers.

“I have ultimate confidence in them being everything we need them to be this year,” he said last week at Big Ten Media Days. “I think they’re gonna exceed expectations. I know they have a chip on their shoulder in the defensive line room. They have something to prove.”

The Buckeyes lost all four starters on the defensive line, but they return the top two backups at defensive end in Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry, and also went into the portal for Logan George and Beau Atkinson. There aren’t nearly as many concerns about the edges, despite the lack of a returning starter.

For Styles, there aren’t many concerns on the inside either.

“Specifically with the D-tackles, Kayden McDonald’s a monster,” he said. “I think he’s one of the best nose tackles in the country. Eddrick Houston is a guy that came in at D-end and now he’s playing three tech. The way he’s able to put on weight and hold it in a good way and still be freakishly athletic. He’s a great athlete and he’s gonna be a great player.”

McDonald and Houston are the closest things to a known quantity at defensive tackle, but they still have yet to play 50 snaps over a two-game stretch, let alone 50 in a single game as they’ll be asked to do this year.

They’ll have a heavier load than their backups, but they can’t do it alone. They need help, and it may be coming in the form of a Buckeye legacy.

“I think Will Smith is probably one of the guys who took the biggest jump this year,” Styles said, echoing similar sentiments from Ryan Day. “He’s looking like an absolute baller. So I’m really excited for him.”

There will be a number of snaps in passing situations where a defensive end slides inside, which will allow the defense to steal some snaps without having two tackles on the field.

But over the course of four quarters and 12 regular-season games, the Buckeyes will need others to step up as well.

“We’ve got a few other guys,” Styles said. “They’re just trying to find their way, like Tywone Malone. That’s another guy. He can be a baller. Jason Moore’s another guy, about 6-4 and like 315. He’s got all the size. So excited for him this year as well.”

Without yet playing a game this season, the Ohio State defensive tackles have heard the criticisms. The hope for the Buckeyes is that once the games start, those criticisms will start to fade away.

“I think the defensive line has a chip on their shoulders,” Styles said, “And, yeah, I think everyone in the building knows it.”