Ohio State Football: Tommy Eichenberg is old school in new school defense

College football looks a lot different today than it did 15 years ago, and I’m not talking about all the off-the-field stuff either. I’m talking about what you see on the field. Offenses are high-octane, pass-happy, and able to spread defenses out, almost scoring at will. Chip Kelly ushered in the fast break-up-tempo offense, Urban ushered in the spread option with the Ohio State football team, and Mike Leach ushered in the air raid. Most college coaches today run some form of variation of these offenses.

Given the adaptation of college offenses, defenses have had to adapt as well. In order to cover all areas of the field, linebackers have had to move from being run stoppers and hole pluggers to being quick, agile, and able to cover just as well as stopping the run. In other words, today’s linebacker looks and plays more like Ryan Shazier than Andy Katzenmoyer.

That being said, there is a place within the Jim Knowles defense for a throw-back linebacker. Given the fact that Knowles plays five defensive backs the majority of the time, one of the linebackers can man the middle of the defense and just tee off.

Given the offensive formation, that particular linebacker can just read and react. That’s what Tommy “No Thumbs” Eichenberg did in 2022 to the tune of 120 tackles, 77 of which were solo, which led the team in both categories.

That last time an Ohio State defender finished the season with 120-plus in the tackle department, it was NBC’s Joshua Perry during the 2014 National Championship season. Shazier had 144 just a year before that in 2013. Eichenberg is poised to have Shazier-type season this year if he can stay healthy.

When asked, Knowles gloats about Eichenberg. He jokingly stated in an interview with the media that “Tommy communicates through a series of grunts,” insinuating that Eichenberg is more a caveman than a modern-day athlete. But that tongue-in-cheek kind of playful bantering from the defensive coordinator is not offered as a negative, but rather, a complement to the style of play that Eichenberg has. He is fearless. A true tough guy that would rather die playing than sit on the sideline.

This was clearly seen during his time in high school. The senior from Cleveland, Ohio played for St. Ignatius where he was a mid-to-low 4-star recruit. Ranked 318th nationally overall and the 7th highest-ranked recruit in the 2018 class, he joined fellow Ohioans Zach Harrison, and Cade Stover that season as Ryan Day’s biggest gets from the home state in his first recruiting class.

If Eichenberg has a Shazier-like season, he could find himself knocking on the door of the top 10 in career tackles. The last time an Ohio State football player accomplished that was in 2008 when James Laurinaitis finished his career with 375 tackles. In comparison, Eichenberg currently sits at 186 total takedowns. He would need 150 this season to crack the top 10.

Whether Tommy “No Thumbs” can do that or not is secondary to what he means overall for this defense and their continued improvement under Knowles. If the Ohio State football team is going to achieve its team goals, you can take it to the bank that Eichenberg will be a big reason why.