All offseason, a main talking point among talking heads (this head included) has been Ohio State’s lack of options at nose guard behind Kayden McDonald.
But with uncertainty swirling about the Buckeyes’ starters at quarterback, safety and on the offensive line, a second nose guard separated from the pack in the summer and first two weeks of fall camp: Will Smith Jr. On Thursday, he confirmed he’s been working exclusively at nose. Earlier in the week, backup center Joshua Padilla was the latest to note Smith and McDonald as the Buckeyes’ top noses.
“Will has taken great strides compared to last year,” Padilla said. “I feel like he's a whole different player and he's playing really good.”
The Buckeye legacy is positioning himself as not only the top backup at his position, overtaking higher-rated prospects from their respective recruiting classes, but one of the top stories on Ohio State’s roster as its season opener against No. 1 Texas nears.
“I want to build my own legacy, but I don't want to discredit (my father’s) own legacy,” Smith said. “It's the Smith name.”
Smith is as common a last name as there is in America, but many reading this already know exactly which Smith family Will is referring to. His father, Will Smith Sr., is Ohio State defensive line royalty.
Smith Sr. anchored the front four of Ohio State’s 2002 national championship team, 22 years before his son played a bench role for the Buckeyes’ 2024 title-winning squad. He proceeded to win Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2003 after racking up 10.5 sacks, landing him as a first-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2004. He won a Super Bowl in New Orleans, made a Pro Bowl and racked up 67.5 sacks across a nine-year career.
In 2016, when Smith Jr. was in fifth grade, Smith Sr. was killed in a shooting following a traffic incident. His killer, Cardell Hayes, was later found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years in prison, which was later reduced to 22 years and two months.
There's a lot of Smith Sr. in Smith Jr. That’s true generally, but especially on the football field.
“I think my get-off is the biggest thing I've inherited,” Smith said. “Just being able to just get off the ball and just knock a dude back. I feel like that is where he shined and that's where I’m shining, too.”
That quickness has made Smith a handful to deal with for Ohio State’s interior offensive linemen. Padilla says it's the difference between Smith and McDonald’s styles.
“I feel like Will is just, like, slippery,” Padilla said. “I feel like he's really slippery and really good with his hands, really good with his feet.”
When Smith committed to the Buckeyes in January 2022 out of Dublin Coffman High School in nearby Dublin, Ohio, he was a three-star prospect ranked No. 537 in the 247Sports composite. His billing came down as a project. But he surged up the charts with an impressive senior year, climbing more than 300 spots to earn his fourth star and finish as the No. 243 recruit in the class of 2023.
Back in his high school days, Smith played defensive end in the footsteps of his father. His first two seasons transitioning to defensive tackle and acclimating to Ohio State were trying.
“I had some confidence issues,” Smith said. “But I worked past it, and I know who I am and I know I can be here.”
“Will is just, like, slippery.”– Joshua Padilla on Will Smith Jr.
Injuries ripped away most of Smith’s freshman year, and after taking a redshirt, he lost his black stripe in April 2024. He only played the eighth-most snaps among Ohio State’s defensive tackles, less than redshirt sophomore Jason Moore and redshirt senior Tywone Malone Jr., the Buckeyes’ other two primary depth pieces behind projected starters McDonald and Eddrick Houston.
Smith was a lower-ranked prospect than Moore and Malone. He wasn’t a participant in the 2025 spring game, where Ohio State’s second wave of defensive tackles struggled. But his stock started streaking skyward at Big Ten Media Days, where he was the first DT mentioned by Ryan Day when talking about players in the room who had stepped up.
The hype continued building on Thursday, with defensive line coach Larry Johnson calling him an “ideal” player at nose guard.
“He's a great fit in that position,” Johnson said. “He's 295 pounds, 6-3, got great quicks. He's stronger now than he was before he came in. He’s an ideal guy to look for at our nose guard position. So he’s a good fit for us.”
As Johnson referenced, Smith has noticed a change in his body since attacking the summer with newfound confidence.
“I feel it when I'm playing,” Smith said. “I remember how it felt to play when I just got here, and now I know how it feels to play today. It feels physically different on my body. It's like I'm getting used to it, if that makes sense.”
Smith overcame tragedy in his family. Smith overcame injuries. Smith overcame a lack of confidence. Smith outperformed his recruiting rankings. At every turn, he’s battled to answer adversity in his life.
“Will, he's a hard worker, he just kept working,” McDonald said. “He's been battling some injuries, but one thing about Will, he never quits. And you can see in practice, he's starting to make plays and he's been emerging. I'm excited for him to play this year.”
Smith is feeling the pressure of a potential role in the Buckeyes’ defense as it replaces all four starters from its title-winning defensive line.
“The stakes are high here at Ohio State,” Smith said. “So I feel like I've got some big shoes to fill and I'm here to do that. I come here every day and I've got that in the back of my mind. I just need to keep on working.”
