How much does the Ohio State Football team need LB’s?

The Ohio State football program has a new defensive coordinator with a brand new defensive scheme. Jim Knowles is bringing his 4-2-5 scheme to Columbus. We saw a very vanilla version of it in the Spring Game, but it does bring out an important question; how much do the Buckeyes need linebackers?

Knowles’ defense emphasizes multiple defensive looks. There will be different looks on every snap and the Buckeyes will line up in different formations. That should help them dictate the game as opposed to letting the offense do that to them.

There is also the “Jack” position that Jack Sawyer will occupy. He is going to be a hybrid linebacker and defensive lineman. There will only be two linebackers on the field most of the time, and sometimes there might not be one on the field at all.

The recruiting for linebackers has been lacking in the 2023 class. The Buckeyes don’t have a single one committed for that class yet. I still don’t think that’s a good thing, but it may not be so terrible either. If Ohio State uses more defensive backs, then the depth at linebacker won’t be an issue.

If you look at Knowles’ defense at Oklahoma State, linebackers are still a prominent part of the team. They may not be the focal point of what Knowles is trying to do, but they are still important. That’s why I believe the Ohio State football team needs to do more to recruit elite linebackers.

We’ll finally get the full scope of the defense in just over a month when the season finally kicks off. That will help us all learn exactly how each of the pieces on the defense fit together with Knowles’ new scheme. Hopefully, it all leads to a more improved defense.