The Ohio State football team is poised to win big in 2024. All of the moves they have made were to get this team ready for a deep run. The 2023 season ended in crushing fashion and it was due to the fact that the roster wasn't built to play tough on either side of the ball.
Ohio State made adjustments to fix that. Today, we will focus on the defensive side of the ball. The Buckeyes played extremely well on defense for most of the season. They finished the year top-three in points per game, yards per game, and pass yards per game.
Yet, they weren't able to stop Michigan when they needed to do it at the end of the game. That final drive by them is what drove the Buckeyes to make the defensive coaching changes and the roster changes that they did in the offseason. That was the drive that ended their season.
While the entire defense is really good, we decided to choose a top three. All of these guys have a shot to be First-team All-American this year if they play to their full abilities. We are starting with the third-best player on the defense, a member of the defensive line.
3. J.T. Tuimoloau
The defensive line was bolstered when both Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau decided to come back for 2024. Tuimoloau was a borderline first-round pick, so getting him back was massive. The former number-two overall recruit in the country is back because he wants to win a national championship.
Jim Knowles' defensive system doesn't quite showcase all of the skills that make JTT special. His sack numbers haven't been strong in his career as he only has 11 in three seasons. Still, he can singlehandedly take over games and has done so multiple times in his career.
His pressure numbers are high though. He makes quarterbacks move around in the pocket and makes them extremely uncomfortable. He had another big game against Maryland, recording four tackles and 1.5 sacks. The goal is for him to put up some higher totals this season.
Having JTT back is big for a unit that is looking to be stouter at stopping the run. While they were a top-25 defense at stopping the run, that's not quite good enough. That's especially true against elite running teams, like Michigan was. JTT is hoping to help with that.
The next player on our list is actually a brand-new addition and is just a sophomore.
2. Caleb Downs
It's not often that a new player comes in and is immediately one of the best players on the team. That's exactly what the Ohio State football team gets in Caleb Downs. Downs chose to transfer to the Buckeyes over Georgia once Nick Saban retired at the end of the year.
Downs is just a sophomore but is already a first-round talent. He had over 100 tackles as a true freshman and intercepted two passes. Now he joins a secondary that is absolutely loaded. Downs is going to be even better with so much talent surrounding him.
Downs comes in and immediately makes the Buckeyes a better defense at stopping the run. His speed and physicality when he goes downhill is breathtaking. He hits the hole with enough force that running backs don't break his tackles very often. They just go straight down.
Because Ohio State has Downs, they move their thumper safety, Sonny Styles, to linebacker. That's another move that should help their ability to stop the run. It also gives them more versatility with pass coverages because Styles can obviously still cover well.
Ohio State is lucky to have Downs for the next two years. He makes the defense more versatile and allows it to have multiple lineups. Jim Knowles has already talked about possibly doing some 3-4 lineups to change some looks up. That could be interesting against some pass-happy teams.
The final player on this list is someone who bounced back in a big way last season and played like he did as a true freshman.
1. Denzel Burke
Of all the guys returning on defense, perhaps there was no news better than Denzel Burke returning. Burke was First-team All-Big Ten last season. His numbers would confuse people who just look at the box scores of the game. But anyone who watched him knows he deserved it.
Burke deserves that honor because teams were afraid to throw his way. He locked up receivers all year long. He's the biggest reason why the Buckeyes had the best pass defense in the country. While he only had one interception, he had eight passes defended.
The secret about Burke is that he locks down an entire side of the field. That allows the rest of the defense to do what they need to do. Knowles knows that he doesn't need help in one-on-one coverage, so they can shade a safety elsewhere if needed.
Burke should be a first-round pick next year when he goes to the draft, but he wanted to come back to win a national title. He'd be the first corner to be drafted in the first round since Jeff Okudah in 2020. Burke is built in the same mold; he doesn't commit penalties and doesn't get a lot of interceptions. Yet, he's still extremely effective.
These three players make the Ohio State football team extremely hard to move the ball on. They all would individually be the best player on most other teams in the country. Having them all on the same team is huge for a Buckeye team that is going all in for a national title.