Spring Recap: Is There A Concern At Defensive Tackle?

With spring football now in the rearview mirror for Ohio State, it’s time to look back at what happened with each position group and where things currently stand for the Buckeyes. We continue our series with the defensive tackles.

Quick Position Overview

Junior nose tackle Kayden McDonald has played good minutes his first two years. Sophomore Eddrick Houston is only going to get better at three technique. Behind them are multiple upperclassmen with varying degrees of playing time and experience. Overall, it’s a relatively inexperienced and unproven group.

Expectations Going In

The expectations going in were that Kayden McDonald and Eddrick Houston would go a long way towards establishing themselves capable of living up to expectations. Behind them, upperclassmen Jason Moore, Tywone Malone, and Will Smith, Jr. would have the opportunity to prove they can handle a role in the defense this year.

Reality Coming Out

The reality coming out is that defensive tackle depth may be the biggest concern on the entire football team. Following Ohio State’s spring game, head coach Ryan Day said the Buckeyes would consider looking at the portal for defensive line help. Despite their relative lack of experience and production, the concern doesn’t sit with Kayden McDonald and Eddrick Houston, but rather the depth behind them.

Any Surprises?

Not really, and that’s a problem. A year ago at this time, Jason Moore’s name was coming up quite a bit from Larry Johnson. This year, there was no unexpected name that people were talking about.

Unanswered Question

Will the Buckeyes be able to find anybody in the portal in their price range? Everybody wants defensive tackles, but Ohio State is going to have to thread the needle of finding somebody at a good price who is talented enough to play at OSU while also understanding that Larry Johnson will only be looking for 20-30 snaps a game.

So Now What?

So now Larry Johnson goes back and checks all of the grades on his players to see who falls in line and who doesn’t. The worry here is that those grades will confirm what he already knows — that certain players aren’t going to be ready this season. There is still a full summer and fall camp for players to continue improving, but that only matters if they can close the gap from where they are now to where they need to be.

One Concern

The lack of experience behind Kayden McDonald at nose tackle is a big concern. This spring, redshirt sophomore Will Smith, Jr. and redshirt freshman Eric Mensah were the guys behind McDonald but they have played just 42 snaps in their combined careers and totaled just one tackle. Could this be a spot where one of Tywone Malone or Jason Moore do some work at nose tackle instead of three tech? The production there isn’t much better, but both players have more experience than either Mensah or Smith.

Are We Sure?

Are we sure the depth chart can’t be buoyed by the true freshmen? Jarquez Carter and Trajen Odom were both in for the spring. Maxwell Roy will be here in June. Larry Johnson has compared Carter to former Buckeye tackle Mike Hall because of his quickness and ability to penetrate. He’s not the biggest guy, however, as he is listed at 6-foot-1 and 285 pounds. Odom is probably a couple of years away. Roy doing something as a true freshman who shows up in June would be unexpected but Kayden McDonald was able to do it in 2023.

Quotable

“Eddrick can be as good as anybody else in the country if he wants to be. With his size and his speed and his athletic ability, how strong he is too, he could be the best guy in the country at his position. So, I think you guys will see him take a big leap going into his sophomore year and be a really productive player already.” — Former Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer on Eddrick Houston.