After the 2025 season, the Ohio State football program lost a lot of talent, especially on the defensive end of the field. There's a chance that they could have four first-round picks when the NFL Draft rolls around in April from that side of the field. That's how good the unit was last season.
Most of the upper-echelon talent on defense was in the back seven. That doesn't mean that the defensive line wasn't talented, too. Caden Curry will likely be a mid-round pick. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. was solid at the defensive end position, as well.
Jackson Jr. could have left for the NFL and would likely have been a mid-round pick himself. Instead, he decided to return to the Buckeyes and give it one final go. After day two of spring practice, Jackson Jr. revealed why he returned for his senior season.
Ohio State defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. explains why he returned for his senior season
Jackson Jr. let everyone know he decided to return so that he could become a more complete player.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. on his decision to return to Ohio State for one more year: pic.twitter.com/UhPMkUj26N
— Dillon Davis (@DillonDavis56) March 12, 2026
"Pretty much, I came back to just be a more complete football player, not just on the field, but off the field. IQ, and things of that nature. I'm taking a leadership role with new guys in the room. I'm just taking them in and showing them the ropes of the standard of Ohio State football."
Jackson Jr. is certainly being looked at as a leader on the defensive side of the ball this season. He is the defensive lineman with the most experience at Ohio State, so he wants to develop his leadership skills. Returning for his senior season will certainly help him do that.
The Buckeyes will need Jackson Jr. to not only be a leader in the locker room but also a leader on the field. They need him to get after the quarterback. They don't have many proven pass-rushers on the roster.