Ohio State Football: Buckeye secondary proving to be one of the best
By David Wysong
Ohio State football’s defense is a big reason why the Buckeyes have dominated so far this season, and a key to their defense’s success is their secondary.
Ohio State is 4-0 on the season and their defense has looked like one of the most dominant defensive units in the country. Everyone talks about defensive end Chase Young, and rightfully so, but more people need to be talking about this team’s secondary.
The Buckeyes have three studs in the secondary in cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, safety Jordan Fuller and cornerback Damon Arnette. These guys have been absolutely dominating so far this season too as they are allowing opposing teams to only throw for an average of 161.8 passing yards on a 56.3 completion percentage average.
They have also only allowed two touchdown passes this season, and one was on a trick play by Indiana.
Okudah was the most highly coveted of the three coming out of high school as he was a five-star recruit, according to 247Sports. Okudah was also the No. 1 cornerback in the 2017 class, the eighth-best recruit in the nation and the no. 2 recruit in all of Texas.
So far this season he has 14 tackles, already almost half of the total tackles he had last season, in addition to one interception and one forced fumble.
Fuller, a senior, was a four-star recruit that was the fourth-best recruit in New Jersey and his play the past couple seasons – 81 tackles in 2018 and 62 in 2017 – has put him atop some NFL Draft big boards. Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller put him as the fifth-best draft-eligible safety in his way-too-early big board in May.
So far this year Fuller has 19 total tackles for the Buckeyes.
Then there’s the fifth-year senior, Damon Arnette. Despite only being a three-star recruit coming into college, he had 44 tackles and two interceptions in 2017, 40 tackles and one interception in 2018, and so far this year he has 10 tackles and one interception that he returned 96 yards for a touchdown.
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The success of their secondary is continuing a recent trend for the Buckeyes too as they have turned in to Defensive Back U.
Of Buckeyes in the NFL, cornerback Denzel Ward was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 draft and earned a 2018 Pro Bowl nod; cornerback Marshon Lattimore was the No. 11 pick in the 2017 draft and earned a 2017 Pro Bowl nod; safety Malik Hooker was the 15th pick in the 2017 draft and already has six interceptions in his young NFL career; cornerback Gareon Conley was the No. 24 pick in the 2017 draft and started 14 games for the Oakland Raiders last season; cornerback Eli Apple was the 10th pick in the 2016 draft; and safety Vonn Bell was a second-round pick in the 2016 draft and has had over 80 tackles in each of his first three NFL seasons.
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If the Buckeyes’ defense wants to continue to dominate this year they must rely on their stars in the secondary. I expect these guys will continue to have big seasons and eventually will have big careers in the NFL, just like the guys who have come before them.