Ohio State Football: Who plays at linebacker?

The Ohio State football team’s weakest unit last season was linebacker after it was perhaps the strongest unit on the team in 2020. With a new defensive coordinator coming in, there are hopes that the position won’t be as bad as it was this past season.

Even with the changes, it’s unclear who is actually going to get playing time at that spot. Steele Chambers is the only guy that I feel with any confidence is going to get significant snaps. Jim Knowles’ new system typically only emphasizes two linebackers at a time as well.

That leaves one starting spot available in most of the defensive sets. Looking down the list of players, it gets a little tough to decide who plays. Teradja Mitchell, Tommy Eichenberg, and Palaie Gaoteote all return from last year’s linebacker unit. That doesn’t even include transfer DeaMonte Trayanum, five-star recruit C.J. Hicks, or Cade Stover, who moved to linebacker in the Rose Bowl.

With rotations involved, I think four linebackers see significant snaps next season. I think Chambers is locked in. Of the other options available on the team, I think Gaoteote and Mitchell are the two most likely options to fight for the other starting spot.

The fourth linebacker to see time will either be Hicks or Reid Carrico. Carrico was a four-star recruit from the 2021 class that didn’t see any time last season. He’s still got potential and might be better suited for a defense like this. He needs to have a good offseason though.

I don’t see Eichenberg getting significant snaps next season despite his best game in 2021 being the final one. He looked good in that Rose Bowl. If he’d looked like that all season, he would have secured himself a spot as one of the linebackers in the rotation in 2022.

I’m not sure what Knowles is going to do yet. If I were choosing the depth chart though, this is what I would think is the right move.