Ohio State Football: The one defensive player who could win awards

There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of talk about the Ohio State football team’s defense. It’s the unit that will decide whether or not the Buckeyes can compete for a national title. We know that the offense is extremely talented and has players that can compete for national awards.

On defense, there aren’t as many guys that can compete for national awards despite the pedigree of some of the players. The Buckeyes have two-five star defensive ends starting on the defensive line, yet neither is likely to compete for a national award this year.

There is one player on the defense who has a chance to get recognition though. That player is Tommy Eichenberg. Eichenberg was snubbed from being a finalist for the Butkus Award a year ago given to the best linebacker in the country. This was despite the monster numbers he put up.

Eichenberg put up a whopping 120 tackles last season. He also had 2.5 sacks, a pass defended, and a pick-six. On a defense that did show some improvement, he was the one that shined the brightest. Now, he’s back for another year to try and win a national title.

Eichenberg is still the player best equipped to win some awards given the scheme of the defense. With him roaming the middle, he can get a ton of tackles for loss. If he can create some fumbles as well and keep up his tackling numbers, he’s in a good position to win some hardware.

It won’t just be up to Eichenberg to win these awards. He’s going to need some help from Jim Knowles and his teammates. The defense was too reliant on him making the safe play last year. I want to see him unleashed so he can be even more aggressive and make big plays.

I’d love to see him bring home some hardware at the end of the season!