Spring Recap: Buckeye Defensive Ends Have Potential, But Relatively Unproven

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 finish our series with the defensive ends.

Quick Position Overview

Five fourth-year players will vie for reps this season, with the most-proven of those options being North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson (who didn’t arrive until after spring practice was over). Idaho State transfer Logan George arrived in January. Redshirt junior Kenyatta Jackson and senior Caden Curry have been primary backups the past two seasons but have played a lot. Senior CJ Hicks is making the move from linebacker. The success of Ohio State’s pass rush will come down to these five players.

Expectations Going In

The expectation going in was that the top four of Kenyatta Jackson, Caden Curry, Logan George, and CJ Hicks would establish themselves as being able to handle what’s in front of them. Redshirt sophomore Joshua Mickens, redshirt freshman Dominic Kirks, and true freshman Zion Grady were the only other defensive ends on scholarship this spring.

Reality Coming Out

All four of the fourth-year players spent time with the ones, though Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry were clearly at the top. Adding a defensive end via the portal after camp ended begs the question of whether or not spring went as well as defensive line coach Larry Johnson and head coach Ryan Day had hoped. How well the defensive ends can stop the run is still up in the air.

Any Surprises?

One surprise was seeing CJ Hicks playing on the strong side in the spring. This may have just been more about giving him a look at all sides — literally and figuratively, but the outside expectation for Hicks this season is that he wouldn’t necessarily be playing on the strong side of the offense and would instead be allowed to chase the back side and rush the passer without having to also worry about a tight end.

Unanswered Question

What are Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry going to look like over the course of an entire season? We have only seen them as backups during their respective careers. The addition of Beau Atkinson may change some things, but what can Jackson and/or Curry do as they craft their plans of attack over the course of 45 snaps in a game?

So Now What?

So now Beau Atkinson packs up a U-Haul and heads west from Chapel Hill. The Buckeyes haven’t added a post-spring player of Atkinson’s caliber since Josh Simmons transferred in from San Diego State in late April of 2023. Atkinson isn’t signing up to sit the bench, but he’ll have to acclimate himself to the team and the culture. If the coaches thought that would be a problem, they never would have signed him in the first place.

One Concern

The lack of overall production from the returning Buckeyes is a concern. This isn’t necessarily the fault of the returning players because 1) there aren’t actually that many of them, and 2) those who have returned were gatekept by Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. Ohio State brought in a pair of defensive ends from the portal, but can they get something they’ve never gotten out of their existing defensive ends? What does CJ Hicks look like in November compared to September? Will a young player step up, whether it is Dominic Kirks, Joshua Mickens, Zion Grady, or incoming freshman Epi Sitanilei? Depending on how things shake out, this room could end up being incredible deep or disappointingly frustrating.

Are We Sure?

Are we sure Logan George is going to be able to handle the step up from FCS to FBS? Defensive line coach Larry Johnson seems confident, as does Ryan Day. George looked good in the spring game, but refs don’t blow plays dead for a hand-tap when the games are real. This is a significant move up for George, but he has gotten better as he’s gone along. The effort is consistent, which is the first step.

Quotable

“100%. I feel like the change to edge fits my play style a lot more. It allows me to be more aggressive, and when it’s time to get to the quarterback, I can get to the quarterback.” — CJ Hicks on moving from linebacker to defensive end.