Top Of The Charts: Defensive End

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It’s a new week and we are that much closer to the start of the 2025 Ohio State Football season. We kicked things off last week with a look at the top players that Ohio State would face in the upcoming season and naturally it is time to start with defense.

So, this means players from Oregon, USC, Michigan State etc. need not apply. If you are not on Ohio State’s regular season schedule, we are not counting you. But this also means that if you are part of Ohio State’s three-team non-conference schedule, you’re in. Well, Texas is in. No offense to Ohio and Grambling, but we just haven’t found an instance where you are going to make any of our top fives.

We are not going to split up Edge and defensive end at risk of just making nobody happy. There are players who look and played like edges who are called end and vice versa. This means that an OLB in a 3-4 could end up making the cut here, if they play a true ‘edge rusher’ role, but it does show how there are some positionless positions in college football.

What we do know is that the position has become a Cadillac position on the football field and one where eyes are drawn to. Who has drawn our eyes here in the preseason? Let’s look at our top five as we get things started on defense.

5. Trey Moore – Texas (August 30^th)

Okay, Moore is not going to get the publicity of his linemate, and that’s fine. He still makes a short list for us based on having a bunch of talent and if he and Colin Simmons make up the list, it means that Texas has got a good thing going. Moore was the man for Texas in 2023, prior to Simmons taking over, with 13 sacks and 45 total tackles. Those numbers came down to just 5.5 sacks in 2024, but will teams put more resources in stopping Simmons and allow Moore more one-on-one run from his position on the defense? He isn’t the biggest player coming off the edge at just 6-foot-3, but at a stout 245 pounds, he is a lot for a bigger (and slower) offensive tackle to have to contend with. If you have learned anything from this series, it is that Texas is stacked and this is going to be a tremendous game, regardless of which week of the season it falls on.

4. Derrick Moore – Michigan (November 29^th)

The numbers haven’t really been there, but Moore has lined up around some top players during his time at Michigan. Do things change as the Wolverines are not as defensive tackle dependent with the defense? Does Wink Martindale’s system have a spot for Moore to go nuts and put up double-digit sacks? Hopefully not, if you are an Ohio State fan, and I expect most people reading along are. Moore is a player that Ohio State was after in recruiting, but he went to a school that is a Glenville-style pipeline for Michigan and the rest is history. He will share duties with TJ Guy, but Moore is the player that seems poised for a big breakout year.

3. Gabe Jacas – Illinois (October 11^th)

Is he an OLB, an Edge? Either way, Gabe Jacas’ role is to get after the quarterback and he racked up eight sacks last year, tying his career mark of eight in the previous two seasons combined. He is another player that may not be the biggest in terms of height (6-foot-3) but at 275 pounds, once inertia starts to work for him, good luck in stopping him. He also appears to be a player that plays well in big games, opposite of some players that we look at that pad stats against lesser foes. Jacas is one of those players that most people are unaware of, especially from an Ohio State perspective, with the Illini rarely appearing on the schedule. Just don’t be surprised if you hear his name called a couple of times in October when these two teams play and that is not an indictment of Ohio State’s ability to protect its quarterback, Jacas is just a problem.

2. Dani Dennis-Sutton – Penn State (November 1^st)

While everyone talked about (rightfully so) Abdul Carter last year, Dennis-Sutton was another star on the defense. Now the defense will share an identity with him and Dani’s 8.5 sacks last year seemed like an opening act, with the main attraction still to come. Now, will he suffer some without having a player of Carter’s caliber around him? It is quite possible, but you wonder how new DC Jim Knowles will go about trying to get Dennis-Sutton into the best possible mismatches on the field. We already talked about the Penn State offensive line being among the best in the nation, if DDS can get things going this year for the defensive line, the Nits could finally break through some of the barriers that have been holding them back in past years under James Franklin.

1. Colin Simmons – Texas (August 30^th)

Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award notwithstanding, Simmons is a hell of a player (though Mr. Alexander should relinquish voting on his own award for snubbing Jeremiah Smith). Simmons is listed as a linebacker in some lists, but he is an edge, against showing the absurdity of trying to nail down positions that adhere to a ‘one size fits all’ standard. His nine sacks may not be as big of a number as you might expect but we are talking about a true freshman last season, and Simmons exceeded all numbers that people had talked about going into the start of the season. What kind of numbers are realistic this year? The sky really is the limit, and Simmons may be tough to stop game one for a new offensive line with a new quarterback with a new offensive coordinator getting plays in.

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