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2024 tOSU Defense Discussion

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247sports.com

Day on OSU's linebackers: Emphasis on blitzing better | 'Excited' that Buckeyes 'look different than the past'

What did Ryan Day have to say when Bucknuts asked him about Ohio State's 2024 linebackers? You are about to find out. We also added our analysis of his comments at the bottom of the story.
247sports.com 247sports.com

Day on OSU's linebackers: Emphasis on blitzing better | 'Excited' that Buckeyes 'look different than the past'​

What did Ryan Day have to say when Bucknuts asked him about Ohio State's 2024 linebackers? You are about to find out. We also added our analysis of his comments at the bottom of the story.​

What will Ohio State's linebacking corps look like in 2024? Well, we did a close look earlier this month in our VIP Outlook series. But today, we have a much better source who will offer his opinion. That person is OSU head coach Ryan Day, who met with the media recently and was asked about the linebackers by Bucknuts. What is Day expecting out of Cody Simon, C.J. Hicks, Sonny Styles, Gabe Powers and the rest of the group?

"Good versatility, all of those guys," Day said. "Arvell Reese, and then like you said C.J., Gabe, Sonny, Cody. I'm missing a couple I'm sure, but these guys are very versatile guys. You can see the length on them and they do a good job in terms of fitting the runs. They have enough length to cover in zone, but they'll also blitz and that's something that we really wanted to work on this offseason is get better at blitzing and hopefully we can even take the next step in the preseason.

"But they're all playmakers. I think when you see us and the length that we have there at linebacker, we look a little bit different than we did in the past. And that's exciting when you tie that in with our front four and our back end. It's important to make sure that the linebackers are the one, they're the glue.

"Cody's had an unbelievable offseason. He leads the pack with that group, but you're seeing a lot of those guys come on."

Analysis
I found two of Day's comments particularly interesting. First is how strongly he emphasized his desire to have a better blitzing defense this year. And that was evident in the spring with the likes of Hicks and Styles disrupting the offense with a series of blitzes.

The second was how he somewhat snuck in there that OSU looks "a little bit different than we did in the past" at linebacker. Then in the very next breath he says "and that's exciting when you tie that in with our front end and back end."

Some might take that as a shot at the Buckeyes' starting linebackers the last 2-and-a-half seasons, Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers. I didn't take it that way. Day was being honest. Ohio State is more athletic and bigger at the LB positions this season. Eichenberg and Chambers were good players at OSU -- particularly Eichenberg when he was healthy (which was not very often the last year-and-a-half). But Eichenberg was a fifth-round pick and Chambers signed as an undrafted free agent. I don't think it is a stretch at all to say that James Laurinaitis' room has upgraded this season and I like the mix of players. As Day said, Simon is the unquestioned leader of the room, the lone senior (a fifth-year senior at that). Simon played a lot last year and performed well. Laurinaitis said during the spring he wished he had played Simon more last year.
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I think his statement on this year's guys being different was fair. Eich and Steele were anywhere from a C- to a solid B, depending on the game during their run. They were limited, but solid when they were. These guys have more top out room and should be able to complement the guys in front of and behind them.
 
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The reason I think this defense could be absolutely amazing is the quality of the 'backups'. If you play in this national championship game, it will be the 16th game you've played. That's more abuse than any college player has had to deal with. It's asking a lot or hoping. The quality of our backups is what will keep it elite.
 
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RugbyBuck said:
And, hopefully, they're given real minutes throughout the season. It's one thing to be a quality backup, but the time to be blooded isn't in the CFP when a starter is injured.
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That’s what I’m waiting to see most this season.

Let’s be real we have what 3 games out of the 12 where we’ll need to give the opposition the full weight of the program for 4 quarters? The first 3 games our starters should not see one rep in the second half and I mean that. We’ll be up 4-5 touchdowns by half and there’s no need to get one more drive in for the starters.

Then for the others we have to gauge how we are doing at the half. I tend to think with the defense we have 4 touchdowns is basically a wrap.

Particularly the WR and DBs I want to see rotation.
 
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I'd say WR/DB just as a matter of course. To my mind, rotation should be part of your regular strategy. On the edges and running full out, our depth is an asset to exploit. Then, having game experience toward the end of the season is gravy.

With the LBs and OL, and probably RBs this year, I think the strategy is the other way around. They just have to get enough experience to not be learning on the job when it's critical.
 
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RugbyBuck said:
I'd say WR/DB just as a matter of course. To my mind, rotation should be part of your regular strategy. On the edges and running full out, our depth is an asset to exploit. Then, having game experience toward the end of the season is gravy.

With the LBs and OL, and probably RBs this year, I think the strategy is the other way around. They just have to get enough experience to not be learning on the job when it's critical.
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I think that’s the one thing the TCUN teams did well. They subbed a lot in all of their games over the last 3 years. So when 2023 rolled around they had boat loads of kids with massive amounts of experience.

That would enable our team to maybe transition next season more easily since we have so many likely headed to the NFL in 2025.
 
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NJ-Buckeye said:
The reason I think this defense could be absolutely amazing is the quality of the 'backups'. If you play in this national championship game, it will be the 16th game you've played. That's more abuse than any college player has had to deal with. It's asking a lot or hoping. The quality of our backups is what will keep it elite.
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Exactly, our schedule would seem to allow us to do that early on and frankly our two-deep players would start on most defenses in the country. That's a defense that is set to take you on a title run. We should be rotating a lot on the front half of our schedule to get everyone game ready.
 
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247sports.com

Big Ten's best linebacker corps, ranked: League boasts number of elite defenses at second level in 2024

Ranking the 18-team Big Ten Conference's best linebacking groups ahead of the upcoming college football season.
247sports.com 247sports.com

Big Ten's best linebacker corps, ranked: League boasts number of elite defenses at second level in 2024​

Ranking the 18-team Big Ten Conference's best linebacking groups ahead of the upcoming college football season.​

1. IOWA HAWKEYES​

2. PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS​

3. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES​

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(Photo: Getty)

The personnel: C.J. Hicks, Gabe Powers, Arvell Reese, Cody Simon, Sonny Styles
Steele Chambers and Tommy Eichenberg will be difficult to replace. But Ohio State and the defensive staff recruited well enough that their successors are capable of taking over. Hicks and Simons — both former five-star recruits — project to be the new starters, while Styles provides additional depth after moving down from his safety spot. This is the least experienced position group of this Buckeyes' defense and although there are some question marks in regards to how some will perform with increased responsibility, the ceiling is high.
 
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www.elevenwarriors.com

Presser Bullets: Jim Knowles Wants to Play More Aggressive on Defense With More Blitzes, Says Caleb Downs is a “Coach's Dream” and the Will Linebacker Competition is “Neck-and-Neck”

Jim Knowles wants to ramp up Ohio State's aggression on defense with more blitzes in 2024 and called Caleb Downs a “coach's dream.”
www.elevenwarriors.com www.elevenwarriors.com

Presser Bullets: Jim Knowles Wants to Play More Aggressive on Defense With More Blitzes, Says Caleb Downs is a "Coach's Dream" and the Will Linebacker Competition is "Neck-and-Neck"​

Knowles added that the competition between Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks at Will linebacker is "neck-and-neck" and said Caleb Downs is a "coach's dream" with his football smarts and talent.
  • On where the defense can improve after such an accomplished season: "We want to emphasize those things that we can get better at. Being a Silver Bullet defense means being a top-five defense. We were top five in a lot of things – but not all of them. ... Blitzing. We need to be more aggressive in terms of the calls."
  • Knowles added that disguise is an area where the defense is trying to improve.
  • On the Will linebacker between Hicks and Styles: "In 4-2 scheme, I think they're both neck-and-neck right now. We've got to continue to look at ways to get all three of them (with Simon) on the field."
  • Knowles said the team's depth behind Jordan Hancock at nickel "concerns me."
  • On whether he wants the defense to be more multiple in 2024: "Multiple, yes. A lot of that happens with disguise, but more calls out of the base look, more attack defenses out of the base look. ... Year one, gave up some big plays. Year two, we were top five in explosive plays, but not as high in sacks and negative plays."
  • Knowles likes the team's depth at defensive tackle and lofted some high praise toward Caden Curry, who could play either defensive tackle and defensive end. "Deep. You'd like to have six tackles. You mentioned Hero (Kanu) and Kayden (McDonald), but you've got to keep an eye on Caden Curry."
  • On how much Mitchell Melton can help the defense: "He really impressed me when I first got here, but man, he's battled injuries. ... You've got really good depth there (with Curry and Kenyatta Jackson Jr.)."
  • On Styles: "He's gained weight, strength, he's well-respected by everybody. He makes that move to Will, and you just see a lot of production. You see a guy who understands football. I've had a lot of success bringing safeties down to linebacker because they see the whole picture."
  • Knowles likes what he's seen from Gabe Powers this offseason and says he's being "groomed" to back up Cody Simon as the team's Mike. "Gabe really started to show up end of last season and did a great job in the offseason."
  • On Caleb Downs: "He's a coach's dream. He understands everything. He picks everything up. He takes the meeting room to the field."
  • On Tywone Malone: "We've become accustomed to our defensive tackles making tackles. I've seen improvement from Tywone, so he's going to be in that battle for playing time."
  • Knowles said that the Jack position is "always there" but he doesn't think it's the "answer" with the talent the Buckeyes have this year.
  • The Buckeyes can't settle for just being good in 2024, Knowles added – they need to strive for something greater. "Vince Lombardi said it, you have to chase perfection. It's not possible, but you catch excellence in the process."
  • Part of the reason Knowles wants to ramp up the defense's aggression in 2024 is due to the big plays Missouri made down the stretch in the Cotton Bowl. He wants his defense to be less predictable. "You look at our last game, we had a shutout close to the fourth quarter. ... When you stay in anything too long or you become predictable, it doesn't matter who you're playing. ... Like Missouri did, run some guy to the other hash."
  • On Jermaine Mathews Jr.: "Jermaine has already shown us that he can play in the big moments. ... That's why he's (working at) some nickel."
  • On Calvin Simpson-Hunt: "I think Calvin is still proving himself. I think he had a good day today, but need to see more of that out of him."
  • Styles' transition from safety linebacker hasn't been difficult in terms of learning the position, Knowles said. "You always expect some kind of initial dropoff or learning curve, but I think Sonny has been at the top of the learning curve since the time he started (the switch)."
  • On why he feels Jack Sawyer surged at the end of last season: "Confidence at the end of last season. Great bowl game. Just confidence and Jack is always a really good-natured personality, but you can see how serious he is about his craft. He has seemed to really advance it to next-level stuff."
  • Arvell Reese is a player Knowles wants to get some playing time this year at linebacker. "Talented and just has made great strides. How's he gonna fit in this year, I don't know. We've gotta get him those game reps and see how he handles it to really prove himself. ... He's come a long way in a year. ... He can do a lot of things. He can play defensive end, he can play Jack, he can do a lot of things. It's always something that's in the back of my mind."
  • Knowles had his own thoughts to add on Jeremiah Smith when asked: "If you put him in a one-on-one situation, even against our best, you're kind of holding your breath."
Just sayin': See the entire video in the link.
 
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scarletandgame.com

Jim Knowles is going to mix up the Ohio State football team's defense

Expect to see some different looks from the Ohio State football team this season on the defensive side of the ball.
scarletandgame.com scarletandgame.com

Jim Knowles is going to mix up the Ohio State football team's defense​

images%2FImagnImages%2Fmmsport%2F151%2F01j4a6vg8njbmkg069bb.jpg


Expect to see some different looks from the Ohio State football team this season on the defensive side of the ball.

Jim Knowles has helped transform the Ohio State football team's defense in just a short time. In just two years, he has created one of the best defenses in the country. The Buckeyes have been transformed with the new 4-2-5 scheme that Knowles brought in.

That system helped the Buckeyes have the best pass defense in the country. They should be even better at stopping the run than they did a year ago. That system is part of the reason why they have been so effective. Knowles will be changing some things up this season though.

Looking at the talent that the Buckeyes have on defense, they have so many guys that need to see the field. He is going to have a tough time deciding who gets snaps. That's why he's decided to change up the system a little bit depending on the matchups on the field.

Jim Knowles is changing some things up for the Ohio State football team​

After Ohio State's practice on Friday, Knowles told reporters that the Buckeyes could use more three-linebacker sets. With Sonny Styles and C.J. Hicks neck-and-neck for the Will linebacker spot, he's going to sure more three-linebacker sets to get them both on the field.

Expect to see Styles, Hicks, and Cody Simon on the field all at once during select times this season. That will be in packages to stop the run in all likelihood. Still, it's good to see that Knowles is comfortable enough with the group he has to change the base defensive setup a bit.
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