Ohio State Football: Defensive players get recognized

Most of the preseason watchlists that have come out have only had offensive Ohio State football players on them. That makes sense, considering how talented the offense on this team is. The Buckeyes will once again have one of the best offenses in the country.

Now, the defense is getting some recognition. Two defensive players for the Buckeyes have been named to the Bronko Nagurski Award preseason watchlist for the best defensive player in the country. While the defense wasn’t great last year, they still have some good players on that side of the ball.

The two players are Zach Harrison and Ronnie Hickman. This is Harrison’s last chance to make a true impact on the Ohio State football team. The former five-star recruit has yet to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he came in as a freshman.

Hickman was pretty good for the Buckeyes last year. He led the team in tackles from the safety position. He will be looked upon this year to once again make an impact for the Buckeyes. He may not lead the team in tackles again, but he should still be pretty good.

In all honesty, it’s probably not good that a safety leads the team in tackles. That means that the offense is getting the ball down the field too often. Hickman shouldn’t have to be counted on to track down receivers or running backs 10 or 12 yards down the field.

An improved defense should help with that. If Harrison improves this season, he can help that too. Harrison has shown the ability to rush the passer at times. If he can do that at a more effective rate, the Buckeyes will be in great shape this year.

I think Hickman is the only one of these two players to have any chance of winning the award. I’d be surprised if any Ohio State football player won this one though.