Buckeyes Counting On Zion Grady To ‘Get Ready Early’

The Buckeyes are replacing three senior defensive ends this season, as starters JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer are off to the NFL, and Mitchell Melton is off to Virginia. There are returning players waiting in the wings, but they better not wait too long, or a freshman like Zion Grady may fly right past them.

Fourth-year players Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry will be the starting duo, and Idaho State transfer Logan George is a possibility for playing time as well. Redshirt freshman Dominic Kirks and redshirt sophomore Joshua Mickens are going to have plenty of opportunity this spring to show that they belong.

Zion Grady will have that same opportunity.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound pass rusher from Alabama has been on campus for about two months now, getting the lay of the land and preparing to compete for a role on this Ohio State defense.

There is an alternative timeline, however, where he is at Alabama and preparing for his first spring with the Crimson Tide. Grady was committed to Alabama for a couple of months back after his junior year. He decommitted last January and then started his recruiting process all over again.

He visited Miami, Florida State, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, and Tennessee in the months following his decommitment. Grady then took official visits to Miami, Florida State, Tennessee, Auburn, and Ohio State. One day after wrapping up his June official visits, he committed to the Buckeyes.

What sold Grady on Ohio State?

“I think because I reached out to him early, even when he was committed to Alabama, I reached out to him, talked to him,” Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson recently told Buckeye Huddle. “Once he decommitted, we started building a relationship and I was able to get him on campus and really spend some time with him. I think that’s what sold him.”

It’s not exactly a mystery why one of the nation’s best defensive linemen would want to come to Ohio State and be coached by Larry Johnson.

“He wanted to be developed, and he followed things that we’ve done in the past,” Johnson said.

There were concerns following his commitment that he could decide to stay home and sign with Auburn. As the December early signing period approached, it seemed believable based on the fact that OSU had two other defensive ends decommit in November.

But Zion Grady stuck to his word.

“The thing I love about him, he never wavered,” Johnson said. “He never used to go, ‘Coach, I’m thinking about this, I’m thinking about that.’ Even down the stretch when we thought maybe he was going to go to Auburn, he said, ‘Coach, I’m gonna be a Buckeye.’ That just speaks volumes to the kind of kid he is.” 

Recruiting is crazier and more unpredictable than it’s ever been, but throughout the recruiting process, the feedback that Johnson got was that Zion Grady’s future wouldn’t be a concern.

“When I went to his high school and visited the coaches, the coaches loved him as a person,” Johnson said. “So I knew he was a really great character fit for us, and culture fit, and it was just a matter of keeping him steady going through the recruiting process. But he never wavered. He’s got a chance, I think, to really add something special to the team.”

The depth at defensive end for the Buckeyes could use some help, be it from returning players or true freshmen. Zion Grady will be throwing his hat into the ring in a couple of weeks as spring ball opens.

Larry Johnson can see a scenario where Grady is helping the 2025 defense right at the start.

“He’ll probably play to the open side,” Johnson said of his immediate future. “He’s got a great pass-rushing skill set, so I think he has an opportunity to come in and contribute early if he’s ready. He’ll be here for spring ball, so that’ll help him get ready, but we’re counting on him to get ready early.”

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