Ohio State’s Fall Camp is well underway. While all eyes seem to be locked on the quarterback competition, there are positional battles up and down the depth chart.\u00a0 While the Buckeyes have to replace the overwhelming majority of their defense, one starter returns to lead a talented group. It is expected that Ohio State will run a similar defense to what it ran last year. The change at defensive coordinator will not change that Ohio State will play the Ohio State defense. If it wants to be a bit more multiple and have more three-linebacker sets, there are plenty of names to know.<\/p>\n
Last fall, Sonny Styles<\/a> was in a head-to-head battle for the second linebacker role. After moving from safety, Styles put together an impressive junior season. He amassed 100 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, five pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Styles was a star in the Cotton Bowl win over Texas. He led the way with nine tackles, three tackles for loss, a pass breakup, and a strip sack.<\/p>\n Styles is a favorite to be a captain and Block O recipient for 2025. He was a leader last year, even as a first-year player at the position, and only got better as the year went on. Instead of joining the crowd of Buckeyes headed to the NFL, Styles decided to return for his senior year to refine his skills at the position. Even as a one-year starter, he likely would have shot up draft boards off testing alone. This year, Matt Patricia and James Laurinaitis look to get everything they can out of the star.<\/p>\n Next to him, the expectation is that junior Arvell Reese will step up with Cody Simon<\/a> off to the NFL. Reese has been biding his time and finally earned 307 snaps last year, good for the third-most. In that time, he contributed 43 tackles, four tackles for loss, and got in for half of a sack against Northwestern. Last year, it looked like Reese was buried on the depth chart.<\/p>\n The 6′-4″, 243-pound Glenville product looks to shine in Simon’s role. Laurinaitis believes Reese’s ability to play with violence and his ability to run sideline-to-sideline will be what sets him apart. He’s not a man of many words and talks with his pads. Ohio State lost a thumper in Simon, but Reese will be able to fill the void well.<\/p>\n If there is going to be a player to challenge Reese for playing time, it’ll be Payton Pierce. According to Laurinaitis, Payton plays with such tenacity that you’d be surprised if he ends a practice without chipping his facemask. His position coach likened his play style to former All-American Tommy Eichenberg<\/a>. Pierce only appeared for 31 defensive snaps last year, but he’s the next man up and could be a third linebacker if Patricia wants to utilize a 4-3.<\/p>\n His true freshman season ended with just four tackles. Like Reese, Payton is a lead-by-example kind of player. According to his coaches, Pierce is right there with Reese and Styles, so it would not be surprising at all to see all three play significant snaps in 2025.<\/p>\n Another second-year player who could make an impact is Garrett Stover. The younger cousin of former Buckeye and current Houston Texan, Cade Stover<\/a>, Garrett was one of the top players in Ohio in the 2024 recruiting class. He started out as a safety in high school before moving down to linebacker and earned All-Ohio recognition in his final two seasons.<\/p>\n Last year with the Buckeyes, Stover appeared in five games. He was able to retain his redshirt because that fifth appearance was in the CFP against Tennessee, and postseason games don’t count. In that time, he was on the field for just one defensive snap while getting his feet wet on special teams. If he can stave off the talented freshmen and Duquesne transfer Ty Howard, he could get some run as Styles’ sub. Even then, he will likely be a special-teams regular, earning his way into the rotation for 2026.<\/p>\nTalented Second Years<\/h3>\n
The Freshmen<\/h3>\n