Ohio State football: The state of OSU linebackers

The Ohio State football team is still trying to improve their linebackers. This is the state of that room.

When former Tennessee linebacker Henry To’o To’o chose Alabama over Ohio State as his transfer destination, it was a blow to the Buckeyes. Coaches will tell you they can’t worry about who isn’t there; they can only be concerned with who is there. OSU linebackers coach Al Washington, Jr. doesn’t have a lot of bodies to worry about right now. Thin is an apt description of the Buckeye linebacker unit.

The official roster on the Ohio State athletics website lists eight scholarship linebackers. Since the Buckeyes are going to a 4-2-5 look this year, we won’t count Craig Young for purposes of this discussion, because he appears to have the inside track to be the starter at the linebacker/safety hybrid Bullet position. Redshirt freshman Mitchell Melton is out with what Ryan Day described as a long term injury. That totals up to six linebackers on scholarship. As I said, thin.

Senior Dallas Gant missed spring practice with a foot injury, but is expected to be fully recovered for the 2021 season. Foot injuries scare me. They seem to have a way of recurring and becoming a real problem. He’s been a special teams standout in his first three seasons as a Buckeye, but is the expected the starter at the Mike (middle) position.

I’m not going to come right out and say Teradja Mitchell has locked down the starting spot at the Will (weakside) linebacker spot, but after watching him fly around the field during the Spring Game, you’ll have a hard time convincing me otherwise. He looks like a guy ready to finally seize his opportunity after three seasons of being a back-up and special teams player.

K’Vaughan Pope looks like he’ll be relegated to a backup role for another season. However, with the lack of depth in this unit, he’s going to be a very important backup. Like Gant and Mitchell, he’s gotten most of his playing time on special teams during his three years in the program.

Early in spring practice Washington said sophomore Tommy Eichenberg plays with a chip on his shoulder and will be an elite player eventually. With Gant on the sidelines for the spring, he was given every opportunity to show what he can do. Eichenberg is one whose contributions could be much greater in the second half of the season as he further develops. Reid Carrico is an early-enrollee true freshman who will probably see the field this year out of necessity. He was one of the top five inside linebackers in the country in this latest recruiting class.

If you want a bit of a dark horse for significant playing time, keep an eye on promising sophomore Cody Simon. He’s very athletic and got a lot of much-needed reps this spring. He played in all eight games last season, mostly on special teams, and made four tackles.

Now do you see what I mean by thin? But, thin doesn’t mean there is a lack of quality. This can be a good group. Actually, I think this is going to be a very good group of linebackers. They may have to rely heavily on Gant and Mitchell early, but you’re going to see others develop and be ready to help. There is concern about a lack of experience. Keep in mind Gant, Mitchell are in their fourth year in the program. They may not have many first-team reps in a game, but these are veterans who I expect to perform at a high level. There are expectations with the Ohio State football program. I don’t doubt Gant, Mitchell, and the rest of this group will meet those expectations.

Within the last few days, the Buckeyes have emerged as the leader for former USC linebacker Palaie Gaoteote. He appeared to be a lock to go to Texas, but once Ryan Day came calling after To’o To’o’s decision, the Ohio State football program appears to have moved to the front of the line. The consensus is the Longhorns are now the underdogs to land him. Gaoteote would give the Buckeyes some much needed veteran depth. He’d most assuredly push Gant for the starting job at the Mike position. He’s a big body at 6’2” and 250 pounds; perfect for an inside run-stuffer. During his three seasons with the Trojans he had 105 tackles, 7 ½ tackles for loss, and two sacks. Injuries are a concern and limited him to just fourteen starts in three seasons at USC. But, make no mistake, he is a player who can help the Buckeyes and is very much needed. Gaoteote has two years of eligibility remaining.

The Buckeye defense is changing this season, but one thing that doesn’t change in any defense is the role of linebackers. If you want to stop teams from running the ball, you need good linebackers. Ohio State has them good one, but there isn’t any margin for injuries. This is going to be a season-long concern for us all.