Ohio State Buckeyes EDGE Epi Sitanilei holds the key to defensive line coach Larry Johnson's plan of unlocking a five-man defensive end rotation during the 2026 College Football season, according to Cleveland.com's Stephen Means.
Per Means, "Atkinson getting a full offseason as a Buckeye should do him some good. Expect him to be more ready to be an impact player in a way that sustains itself for the entire season. Russaw is the Alabama transfer who has turned heads. He may be undersized in comparison to the other defensive ends — 6-foot-2, 240 pounds — but the coaching staff feels he plays much bigger than he’s listed. It’ll be interesting to see how defensive line coach Larry Johnson deploys these two alongside Jackson. Then there’s Sitanilei, the second-year pass-rushing savant who spent his freshman season bulking up. Johnson wants to play five guys. He’s the key to achieving that goal."
Means sees Kenyatta Jackson Jr. as the only sure-thing starter, with Alabama Crimson Tide transfer Qua Russaw and Beau Atkinson serving in a platoon setup to complement him. Sitanilei and Zion Grady are the planned backups.
All five will make an impact if Johnson has his druthers. Sitanilei holds a very distinct role as the fifth Beatle, though.
Sitanilei, having played two games in 2025, is the truest wildcard in the room. A former 4-star out of St. John Bosco, a CIF-SS powerhouse, he could be an every-down player as soon as possible if he's closer to his ceiling than his floor.
He has freakish athleticism, but is a question mark from a size perspective. If he's added lean bulk, then there aren't really many issues all of a sudden. Sitanilei sets the edge astoundingly and is elite on-ball, having amassed 59 tackles and six TFLs his senior year in 2024.
Epi Sitanilei is one of several championship-ceiling Buckeyes
Sitanilei is part of a special group of Buckeyes who, if he hits his ceiling during the 2026 season, will undoubtedly lift this team to the promised land. Ian Moore, if he's good enough to be the left tackle, and Chris Henry Jr., who, if he's as good as his spring game performance indicated, will be a WR1A to Jeremiah Smith, are another two.
Ohio State is talent-rich, as always, but has special players who are emerging that can help the special players who have helped pave the way so far, like Smith, Julian Sayin, Bo Jackson, Austin Siereveld, Jermaine Mathews Jr., and Payton Pierce, to name a few, return the Scarlet and Gray to championship glory.
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