Ohio State Football: Tough choices to be made on defense

Ryan Day finally addressed all of the changes that he made on the defensive side of the ball for the Ohio State football team yesterday during his press conference. Those new coaches will need to make some tough decisions when it comes to personnel next season.

Jerron Cage, Teradja Mitchell, and Paleie Gaoteote are all coming back next season. Zach Harrison is coming back. Cameron Brown is coming back. All of these players returning means that the Buckeyes have some tough decisions to make when it comes to playing time.

Of those players I mentioned, only Harrison and Brown are guaranteed to start. Even though Mitchell started last year, the linebackers were not good at all. That could mean that Jim Knowles decides to start some other players in his stead that he thinks might be better.

Steele Chambers was the best linebacker on the team in 2021. Tommy Eichenberg had his best game in the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes have five-star linebacker C.J. Hicks coming in as a freshman. Linebacker is going to be a very crowded position next year.

The defensive line will be crowded as well. Harrison coming back means that Jack Sawyer will likely sit behind Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau as a backup. Cage has a chance to start as a defensive tackle, but again that could push someone like Tyliek Williams out who played very well at times last year.

All of these decisions will have to be made next season. What makes it harder is that these Ohio State football players are all learning a new defensive scheme. That will take time and effort. But the competition should bring out the best in these players.

The Spring Game won’t teach us a whole lot, but I’m still excited to see it. I just want to see who they think are the best players on the roster right now.