Ohio State Football: 2023 a big year for defensive recruiting
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State football program is looking for an improved year on the defensive side of the ball. They were better last year under Jim Knowles’ new system. This year is another chance for the Buckeyes to get to the top of the mountain and win a national championship.
The reason why they weren’t able to achieve that goal last year was because of the defense. Last year saw the Buckeyes get some good defensive recruits, but they weren’t in the numbers of the offensive talent that came in. This year is a big year to change that.
Looking at the 2024 recruiting class, which is currently the third-best in the country, only two of the 13 commits that the Ohio State football team has is on defense. Both of them are linebackers, and one is the brother of a current Buckeye. They need a lot more than that.
A good effort on defense this year will go a long way to increasing those recruiting numbers on the defensive side of the ball. As long as Ryan Day and Brian Hartline are on staff, accumulating offensive talent won’t be an issue. Getting great defenders is the challenge.
How well Knowles recruits will let us know whether or not the Buckeyes can consistently compete for a national championship. His safety-heavy system will likely attract top defensive back talent, which is something Ohio State needs. They aren’t good enough in the secondary quite yet.
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A stark improvement on defense this year will give the Buckeyes an opportunity to recruit some of the best defenders in the country. Last year was a good start, at least in the regular season. This year will let us know how good we can expect them to be on that side of the ball for years to come.