The Ohio State Buckeyes are typically a program of overabundance. Buckeye fans have come to expect elite play from every position group, with future stars sitting even under the depth chart's two-deep. When it comes to the defensive line this coming season, it may take patience, though.
There may not be obvious stars right away, and the incoming transfers may need time to gel together, along with the returning guys. Hell, Arthur Smith and Larry Johnson will probably need to workshop many combinations together to truly figure out the best mix.
As Land-Grant Holy Land's Cole VanWiechen notes, though, this group has the depth to overcome the lack of surefire star power. It will just take coaching the group up, though.
"The Buckeyes could rotate Jackson, Grady, Atkinson and Russaw at defensive end while using Houston, Smith, Walker and Smith Jr. inside," VanWiechen wrote. "Different players can be used for different situations. Bigger bodies can handle early-down work. Explosive rushers can enter on passing downs. Fresh legs can attack tired offensive linemen late in games.
"That is how Ohio State can turn depth into a weapon. The Buckeyes do not need Jackson to produce 12+ sacks. They do not need Houston to become an All-American overnight. They do not need Grady to become a star as a sophomore or Wilder to immediately play 30+ snaps a game. ... They just need three or four of these players to get better."
Qua Russaw and James Smith have major upside after leaving Alabama
Two of the most intriguing bruisers added via the transfer portal were former Alabama Crimson Tide EDGE Qua Russaw and three-tech James Smith. Tuscaloosa wasn't at the same defensive standard as the peak title years when the pair arrived at the very end of Nick Saban's run, and it became unrecognizable in the years that followed under Kalen DeBoer and Kane Wommack.
As two of the most important players in the Alabama-to-Ohio State pipeline, Russaw and Smith could be culture-setters for this defensive line after getting robbed of the true Tide experience over the past few years. After DB transfer Earl Little Jr., who was at Alabama before leaving for the Florida State Seminoles and finally ending up in Columbus this past January, sold the program out by saying the Tide wasn't competitive in the weight room as OSU is, during Saban's last season no less, you only have to imagine what Russaw and Smith are currently experiencing in a serious culture.
If you're looking for two guys who are in a great position to get better, look no further than these former Carver High School stars in Montgomery.
Eddrick Houston and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. have to be better for OSU
The idea of the Buckeyes not having stars either regularly invading opposing backfields or pancaking interior offensive linemen is still a little tough to accept. There should be two obvious stars emerging up front.
One should be Kenyatta Jackson Jr., whose development has been slow-rolled to hopefully conclude with an elite season of production this fall. Jackson came in with hopes of being a sack extraordinaire but has been more of a deterrent for opposing running backs looking to bounce outside. Setting the edge is important, but so is getting to the quarterback. It'd be nice to see Jackson run up the sack total.
He could only do that if there aren't openings in the middle for opposing skill-position players to escape to. UCF Knights transfer nose tackle John Walker has a big responsibility there, but it'll be Eddrick Houston lining up in the middle more often than any other DL. Houston needs to hold his own in the passing game after letting that aspect of his game fall behind his ability to plug gaps in the running game.
These two becoming stars would really make the entire operation work. We'll see if Johnson can achieve that with the returning upperclassmen duo.
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