Beau Atkinson Caps Spring Resurgence with Strong Spring Game Showing

Beau Atkinson's been picking off his flaws this offseason just like he picked off a tipped Julian Sayin pass in Ohio State's spring game.

Some fools (it's me, I'm the fool) considered him a fringe contender to start alongside Kenyatta Jackson Jr. at defensive end as recently as the morning before Ohio State's Friday practice. They viewed it as a competition between Alabama transfer Qua Russaw and sophomore Zion Grady.

Now, exiting spring, he might be the frontrunner.

“He took his mobility and his flexibility serious over the offseason,” Jackson said after the spring game. “I believe, my opinion, he was overthinking a lot when he got in last year. And I don't think he's overthinking now. He's playing much faster and more explosive.”

Atkinson went into the 2026 offseason motivated and has made clear strides in his play thus far. With any luck, it will translate to the field this fall.

"I feel like I've gotten a lot more mobile, and I've been putting a lot of work in that in the weight room," Atkinson said on Wednesday. "Coach Mick (Marotti) has been helping me get right a lot and I've got a great extra work plan, so I feel like all that has been paying off. But also just being more comfortable with the guys and growing as a teammate as well."

The transition from the ACC to Ohio State proved tougher than thought for Atkinson in 2025. After recording 35 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks for North Carolina in 2024, he struggled to achieve any production in his 214 snaps off the bench in his first year with the Buckeyes. He registered just 11 tackles and one sack as Grady passed him on the depth chart toward the end of the season.

Rather than run from the challenge for his senior campaign, he stuck it out at Ohio State and used his disappointment as motivation moving forward.

"I don't think it went anywhere near the way that I wanted it to, but I feel like that has given me some extra fuel to come into this season and to work really hard," Atkinson said. "I've been working on my mobility a lot and I've been feeling a lot looser out here, and so, yeah, I'm excited to get back out there."

Mobility, as he mentioned, and flexibility were the two big emphases for Atkinson this offseason. Plus, strength and explosion to improve his first steps off the line of scrimmage.

"Sometimes last season, I just felt myself feeling a lot more stiff than I had felt in the previous seasons before that," Atkinson said. "And so I've really tried to target whatever my weaknesses were last season and try to grow as much as I possibly can through each of those."

Atkinson wowed in both Ohio State's Student Appreciation Day practice and its Ohio Stadium practice on Friday. Then, in the spring game, he showed his progress to the public at large.

The biggest play of note came in the first quarter, when Atkinson intercepted a pass tipped by defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. A nice play in a vacuum, but more impressive was Atkinson's pass rush. He was consistently in the face of Ohio State's quarterbacks and registered a sack.

Atkinson didn't get a spring at Ohio State in 2025, committing in the now-defunct spring portal window and arriving in the summer. The value of spring practice to him this year is undeniable.

"I think it's paramount that those guys get that extra time," defensive line coach Larry Johnson said on Wednesday. "Now that he's got the extra spring ball and extra weight room, he can see the difference. He's changed, he's gotten heavier, and got stronger, I think that's the key."

Atkinson doesn't have any stated objectives for the 2026 season, which arrives in less than five months. He's focused on the process of improvement – probably the correct approach.

"I'm not really too focused on (goals for the season)," Atkinson said. "I'm just really trying to focus on the process every single day, trying to get myself better. I'm not really looking too far ahead like that."

Atkinson is riding a wave of momentum to potentially reach the shore of a starting job. The turnaround could be immaculate. Next, it will be time to show it in a game that's more than a glorified practice.

“I think he's done a 360 so far, but we haven't played a game yet,” Johnson said. “I think I like where he's at. He's much better, he's more flexible right now that we'd like him to be. And again, he's a transition guy coming from the University of North Carolina and trying to play this way, and how do we do it, it's different. It really is, and I think he embraced it. Never had a dull moment, never fought away from it, not even shied away from what we're doing. Now, it's his moment, his time.”