Saying Ohio State expects to have the best defense in college football next year is like saying one shouldn’t be wearing shorts outside during these frigid days in Ohio.
It’s so obvious that it doesn’t really need to be stated.
Fitting for the winter atmosphere, the Buckeyes have experienced a snowfall of seniors with NFL draft stock who have chosen to stick with the program in the past few weeks.
Defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock and safety Lathan Ransom have all chosen to stay in Columbus since the Cotton Bowl.
Linebacker Cody Simon announced his intention to return to Ohio State following the squad’s loss to Michigan.
With all of their decisions, the Buckeyes will return nine starters from a defense that finished No. 2 in points allowed per game and No. 3 in yards allowed per game in 2023.
| Pos. | Name | 2023 Stats |
|---|---|---|
| DT | Ty Hamilton | 38 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks |
| DT | Tyleik Williams | 53 tackles, 10 TFLs, 5 PBUs |
| DE | Jack Sawyer | 48 tackles, 10 TFLs, 6.5 sacks |
| DE | JT Tuimoloau | 38 tackles, 7 TFLs, 5 sacks |
| MLB | Cody Simon | 57 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 PBUs |
| WLB | Sonny Styles | 53 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, 2 sacks |
| CB | Denzel Burke | 24 tackles, 1 INT, 9 PBUs |
| CB | Davison Igbinosun | 59 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 5 PBUs |
| Nickel | Jordan Hancock | 41 tackles, 2 INTs, 5 PBUs |
| SS | Lathan Ransom | 34 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, 1 INT |
| FS | Malik Hartford | 10 tackles, 2 PBUs |
Going from a top-three defense to the nation’s best seems logical based on how the offseason has unfolded so far. But what the Buckeyes could be chasing seems like more than that. The ceiling of this year’s bunch could be generational.
“You saw what happens when you build off the first year into the second year (in a defense), how big of a jump you can take,” Sawyer said during Cotton Bowl week. “I still think, personally, we have another big jump to take next year if we all decide to come back.”
Even with the loss of its top two tacklers Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers, Ohio State’s defense will return a ridiculous portion of its production from this past season.
The players returning accounted for 82% of the 2023 defense’s tackles for loss, 91% of its sacks, 88% of its takeaways (interceptions and fumble recoveries) and 82% of its pass breakups.
Four first- or second-team All-Big Ten selections – Burke, Tuimoloau, Sawyer and Williams – are among the returners.
It starts up front when a defense is playing to the level that the Buckeyes did in 2023. Five players found a starting role at Ohio State’s four defensive line spots this season and all of them except Mike Hall will be back in 2024, with Tuimoloau and Sawyer at defensive end and Williams and Hamilton at defensive tackle.
Tuimoloau and Sawyer are five-star recruits who have legendary performances under their belts in their respective careers in Columbus. Tuimoloau’s outing against Penn State in 2022 was the stuff of legend and he followed it up with 38 tackles, seven tackles for loss and five sacks in 2023.
Sawyer was arguably the Buckeyes’ best defender down the stretch of the 2023 season. He gobbled up six tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and a strip-sack against Minnesota before a six-tackle day against Michigan, then put on a monster three-sack performance in the Cotton Bowl.
None of that is to discount Williams and Hamilton on the interior. Williams emerged as perhaps one of the nation’s best defensive tackles with 53 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and five PBUs this campaign. Hamilton enters his third year as a contributor and fifth year at Ohio State off his best season, picking up 38 takedowns with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
The defensive line will be a massive strength, but perhaps the biggest position of advantage for the Buckeyes will be cornerback.
It starts with Burke. A projected late first- or early second-round NFL draft pick, he’ll be back for a fourth season starting for Ohio State and figures to be arguably the best cornerback in the country.
“I want to be a top-10 pick, and not only that, but to have something to show for (my college career) down the road,” Burke said in December while weighing his draft decision. “To be able to show my kids and my family when I was at Ohio State, we won something.”
Denzel Burke will be a foundational piece of what looks to be an elite Ohio State defense in 2024.
What Burke means by winning something is achieving one of the three stated goals Ohio State has had in every season under Ryan Day – beating Michigan, winning the Big Ten and winning a national title.
The cavalcade of seniors returning for Ohio State is partially inspired by its rivals to the North. The Wolverines won a national championship this year with a roster comprised of 44 seniors.
“I think that when you’ve got a bunch of guys that could have gone to the NFL and they all come back and they’ve got 50-some seniors on their roster and everybody’s experienced and all their top players are coming back I think it helps the team win,” Sawyer said. “So it’s definitely something we’ve talked about.”
Joining Burke at corner are his fellow starters from 2023, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock. Igbinosun transferred in from Ole Miss this past offseason and made an immediate impact with his length, as he stands at 6-foot-2 with a wide wingspan. Collecting 59 tackles and five PBUs, he proved as effective in run support as he was in pass coverage.
Hancock started as a rotational piece at nickel but soon proved too valuable to not be put on the field frequently, taking over as the starter in the slot following an injury to Ransom that put fellow nickel Sonny Styles at strong safety full-time. He finished with 41 tackles, two sacks, five PBUs and a team-high two interceptions with a pick-six.
Styles is an interesting piece for next year’s defense. He saw some struggles at deep safety at the end of the season, and with Ransom back to play strong safety, free safety doesn’t seem like Styles’ best fit moving forward.
An open spot at Will linebacker could be calling the five-star prospect’s name. He’d get to play next to an experienced hand at Mike in Simon, who is replacing Tommy Eichenberg as the “quarterback” of Ohio State’s defense after a phenomenal second half of his 2023 campaign.
Ransom was considered for a move to free safety last offseason, so that could also be an option if the staff feels Styles should stay at strong safety. Free safety could be an open competition otherwise, with 2023 Syracuse transfer Ja’Had Carter and sophomore Malik Hartford being the top options.
Five-star prospect C.J. Hicks is another name to watch at linebacker, but after a quiet sophomore season, it’ll be interesting to see if he can break out in year three.
Nearly all of the players listed above will also be in their third season under the direction of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who has a track record of getting better and better each season he’s at a program. Such was the case from his first to second seasons at Ohio State.
None of this discussion even includes potential transfers. Alabama’s roster is in a 30-day transfer window and if Ohio State can add a player like, say, free safety Caleb Downs, then the potential of its 2024 defense rises that much more. The spring transfer window is still ahead as well.
Even if no changes are made, however, the returning pieces – including sophomores and juniors this story didn’t have the space to cover like Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Caden Curry, Kayden McDonald, Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Gabe Powers – should make for one of the best magazines full of Silver Bullets in Ohio State history.
