Following spring practice, the Buckeyes looked to the portal to see if there were any defensive tackles available that could help shape up the depth chart on the interior.
Nothing came of the search, which is why it can be dangerous to rely on the portal — especially during the spring window when many of the bigger fish previously found their new ponds in the winter window.
The Buckeyes aren’t currently dealing with a lack of defensive tackles, but there are questions about which of those tackles can be ready to be relied upon this season. Ohio State will have nine defensive tackles on scholarship this season, but they have a combined two career starts and 5.5 tackles for loss.
Even though the Buckeyes struck out in the portal, the plan is always to develop the players already on the roster. The portal has always been more of a supplemental outlet for head coach Ryan Day. New defensive coordinator Matt Patricia agrees with that tactic.
“I think you always want to develop players,” Patricia said this spring. “I think that’s the best thing to do within a system. You want to groom them, you want to grow them, you want to increase their skill set and their fundamentals because those are the guys you’re working with every single day.”
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Especially if the two in the bush don’t add anything to your roster. The Buckeyes looked for supplemental help but couldn’t find any, so they’ll go into the 2025 season with the tackles who went through the winter, spring, and summer. The will add true freshman Maxwell Roy into the mix next month, but other than that, the roster is set.
How Ohio State builds out the depth chart this year isn’t yet known, but the more a player can do, the better his chances are of being part of the solution.
“I think the guys that have been able to show position flexibility — whether they can move out to different techniques, whether it’s a five to a three or a three to a shade (one), a shade back out to a three, those are the guys then that that’s where your depth comes,” Patricia said. ” So maybe you’re a guy that’s a backup nose guard that you’d rather have him out there and then move the other guy out to a three technique. So it’s really kind of that structure of where those guys can go.”
The Buckeyes feel pretty good about junior nose tackle Kayden McDonald and sophomore three technique Eddrick Houston. Together, however, that duo has produced just 27 tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss in their combined careers. Fifth-year senior Tywone Malone has experience, but saw just 38 snaps over Ohio State’s final 11 games in 2024. Third-year sophomore Jason Moore has potential, but he played in just two of the Buckeyes’ final nine games last year. Redshirt sophomore Will Smith, Jr. and redshirt freshman Eric Mensah have a similar story.
The Buckeyes signed three defensive tackles in their 2025 recruiting class. Jaquez Carter and Trajen Odom enrolled early so the coaches got a look at them, but more importantly, those two players got a head start on being developed, which is always going to be OSU’s preferred path.
“I think you’re always trying to develop,” Patricia said. “Always trying to bring those guys along. And it’s like I tell them, ‘Just prove us right.’ That’s why you’re here. We believe in you. We know you can go do it. So we’re going to do everything we can to help you achieve everything you want. And that’s going to be the best for the team.”
9 comments
Florida Star Justice Fitzpatrick Emerging as Key Target for the Buckeyes
Five-Star Linebacker Kaden Henderson Eyeing Return Visit to Ohio State
Ohio State Making Florida Lineman Sam Roseborough a Priority
Ohio State Has the Attention of Rising Star QB Champ Monds
Do the Buckeyes Lead for the Nation’s Top Linebacker?
The Impact: Kayden Dixon-Wyatt is latest prototype receiver to commit to Ohio State