2026 Ohio State Fall Camp Primer: The Defensive Line

The Ohio State fall camp is inching nearer, and so we shift our focus on the trenches. One of the positions of strength during Ohio State’s national championship was the defensive line. Last year, it had to replace a handful of contributors and repeated that dominance. Now, heading into 2026, the unit has undergone some changes by way of the draft and the portal. Larry Johnson is legendary in his ability to coach up the defensive line. What can he expect from his group this fall?

2026 Ohio State Fall Camp Primer: The Defensive Line

What Was Lost

There was no single unit that was hit harder than the defensive line by the portal this offseason. In total, eight defensive linemen – four defensive tackles and four EDGE rushers – and while the Buckeyes didn’t lose much by way of expected 2026 contributors, the depth took a massive hit.

Of all of the lost depth, C.J. Hicks had the most experience, but after four games last year, it was obvious that he was on his way out. He was a five-star linebacker, but never really cracked the starting lineup, save for one game in 2024. Jarquez Carter flashed, and losing him felt like the biggest loss, but he was a first-year.

In total, Hicks transferred to South Florida, Carter went to Miami (FL), Maxwell Roy went to UCLA, Eric Mensah went to Virginia Tech, Trajen Odom went to Arkansas, Logan George went to Washington, Dominic Kirks went to Northwestern, and Joshua Mickens went to UConn.

As for the draft, the Buckeyes lost two big pieces in Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald. Curry had his breakout last year with 16.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks, but he was taken in the sixth round of this year’s draft. McDonald’s breakout saw him finish with nine tackles for loss and three sacks, earning him unanimous All-American honors, and he was taken in the second round of the draft.

The New Guys

Starting with the first-year players, Johnson was able to bring in seven guys to backfill the depth, led by four-star EDGE, Khary Wilder. He is the composite 51st-best player in the nation and the third-best defensive lineman. Joining him are four-star recruits Emanuel Ruffin, Dre Quinn, Braxton Rembert, Damari Simeon, and three-star recruits Jamir Perez and Darryus McKinley.

This year, it would be surprising to see many first-year defensive linemen making much of an impact, but Wilder may be the Wild(er) Card to earn time in the rotation. He’s a physical specimen, and scouts have said, “18-year-olds aren’t supposed to look like that.”

In addition to the seven recruits, the Buckeyes brought in three transfers, each from a Power 4 school. John Walker was a recruiting battle the Buckeyes lost to UCF back in the day, but after three seasons with the Knights, he transferred north. He missed the entire 2024 season due to injury, but in the two healthy seasons, he amassed 64 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and one-and-a-half sacks.

Qua Russaw and James Smith were a package deal from Alabama. Neither really made an impact with the Tide, but both have high ceilings and are expected to take that step starting this year.

Strength on the Interior

Replacing McDonald is going to be a task in itself. But, if there is a spot Ohio State is well-suited to reload, it’s at defensive tackle. In addition to Walker and Smith, returning tackles Eddrick Houston and Will Smith Jr. will have large roles for the Buckeyes this year.

Smith Jr., the son of the late, great former Buckeye and national champion Will Smith, has gradually entrenched himself in the rotation. In 2024, after not appearing in a single game in 2023, he appeared in seven games. In 2025, that number jumped to all 13 for 233 snaps. The six-foot-four, 292-pound fourth-year is due for a breakout in the McDonald role.

Houston has been one of the most hyped players on the defensive line from the day he picked the Buckeyes. He bulked up and kicked inside from EDGE and appeared in 12 games as a first-year player (with one start against Purdue). Last year, it was expected that he would take over the tackle position with Tyleik Williams off to the NFL, but that didn’t happen.

If Houston can finally take that step, the interior defensive line could be in conversations to be the best in the country between him, Smith, Smith, and Walker (that’s not confusing at all, is it?).

Breakouts Incoming?

For the first time since Chase Young did so in 2018 and 2019, Ohio State had back-to-back seasons with a player with double-digit sacks. It was the second time since Sport-Reference began tracking sacks in college football (joining 2013-2014), so can someone make it three straight?

Kenyatta Jackson Jr. returns after spurning the NFL, switching to jersey number two. They don’t give that jersey to just anyone, so Ryan Day and the defensive coaches had to have signed off on the change. Last year, he took a step as the starter opposite Curry with 11 tackles for loss and six-and-a-half sacks. He looks primed to have his own breakout in his fifth season.

Johnson mentioned that he wants to be six deep, so that likely means Jackson, Russaw, Beau Atkinson, Zion Grady, Epi Sitanilei, and Wilder.

Grady could be one to watch as a breakout this year. The six-foot-four, 258-pound EDGE appeared in 10 games last year…and that was before he started to take strength and conditioning seriously, as reports seem to indicate. Sitanilei is another name to watch. While he only appeared in four games last year, he and Grady are “gonna factor in for us going forward,” according to Johnson.

Ohio State may not have a Joey Bosa/Nick Bosa/Chase Young kind of player this year, but overall, the depth may be the best it’s been in a long time.

Now catch up on the rest of the defense: LB | CB | SAF