The Ohio State football team is going to have several new starters on this year's team. After winning the national championship last season, the Buckeyes now try to defend their title with some new starters in critical positions. Of course, everyone will be watching the quarterback spot.
While there might be some questions at that spot, there won't be any questions about the linebacker spot. Sonny Styles returns as one of the best players on the entire team. A new starter will emerge next to him, who the Ohio State Buckeyes are very excited about.
That player is Arvell Reese. Reese is going to emerge as the starter next to Styles at linebacker. While we still don't know exactly what kind of system Matt Patricia is going to run defensively, Reese is going to be a starter at linebacker. There are reasons to be excited about him.
Arvell Reese should have the Ohio State football team excited
Reese played a decent amount as a freshman, recording 43 tackles. An increase in playing time should equate to an increase in production. Reese showed that he has good instincts in both stopping the run and playing the pass game.
While Reese isn't as good at rushing the passer as Styles is, he can still develop that part of his game. He's good enough to bring exactly what Ohio State wants to accomplish on defense. They want to bring the physicality to the opposing offense at all times.
Reese's development is part of the reason why the Buckeyes moved C.J. Hicks into a defensive end role for this season. With Hicks more on the edge, Reese has the space to develop into a very good linebacker. He is not going to be much of a drop-off from Cody Simon.
That's something that should excite the Ohio State football team this season. He's a very good player who should only get better.