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    Home»College Football»Ohio State Buckeyes»Ohio State Projected Starters For 2022: Defense
    Ohio State Buckeyes

    Ohio State Projected Starters For 2022: Defense

    Ryan KearyBy Ryan KearyJuly 29, 2022Updated:August 7, 2024No Comments4 Mins Read
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    Ronnie Hickman defense celebrate vs. Akron
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    The Ohio State defense struggled in 2021. Last year they ranked 38th in scoring defense (22.77) and 59th in total defense (372.9). This off-season Ohio State wiped out almost the entire defensive coaching staff. Jim Knowles is now the defensive coordinator and will look to make a real change on that side of the ball. Ohio State is a good defense away from a national championship. We will now take a look at Ohio State’s projected starting defense for 2022.

    DE: J.T Tuimoloau

     

    Tuimoloau wasn’t a full-time starter as a freshman last year, but he did play in all 13 games. With Tyreke Smith leaving to the NFL, J.T should get most of the playing time at defensive end. Tuimaloau was the number four overall player in the country coming out of high school and will look to prove why in 2022.

    DT: Tyleik Williams

    Fourth-Quarter Sack Earns True Freshman Tyleik Williams Increased Role At Defensive Tackle | Eleven Warriors

    Williams had 6.5 tackles for loss in his freshman season last year. With Haskell Garrett gone, Williams will have to be the main guy who steps up and make a huge impact on the defensive line. He was second on the team in sacks last year with 5.0.

    NT: Taron Vincent

     

    This will be Vincent’s 5th season at Ohio State. He has played in 28 games in his career and has eight starts which all came last season. Vincent and Williams should be a good pair inside making it tough for opposing teams to run the ball.

    LEO: Zach Harrison/Jack Sawyer

    The LEO is the new position that comes with Jim Knowles defensive scheme. It is basically a defensive end who stands up at the line of scrimmage. I think both of these guys are a perfect fit for the position and will rotate with each other a lot during the season. Harrison is a senior with the most experience on the defensive line and Sawyer is a very talented sophomore. Both guys should cause problems for opposing QBs in this position this year.

    LB (WILL): Steele Chambers

    Steele Chambers' late transition to linebacker last offseason transformed him into impact player for Ohio State in 2022 - cleveland.com

    Chambers was recruited to the Buckeyes as a running back but was converted to a linebacker before the 2021 season. With linebacker being the weakest spot on the team last year, Chambers was able to come in and make an immediate impact. Chambers was 5th on the team in tackles last year with 47 and will look to hold that linebacker position with highly recruited true freshman C.J Hicks right behind him.

    LB (MIKE): Tommy Eichenberg

    Who are the most interesting defensive players to watch during Ohio State's Spring Game? - cleveland.com

    Eichenberg played in all 13 games last year and was 2nd on the team in tackles with 64. He looked great in the last game of the season in 2021 when he had a rose bowl record 17 total tackles. Eichenberg will look to build on his rose bowl performance and carry it over to the 2022 season.

    CB: Denzel Burke

    Denzel Burke shining for Ohio State Buckeyes as freshman

    Burke was a true freshman last year and was arguably the best defensive player for Ohio State. He was the 1st Ohio State true freshman to start the season opener on defense since 1996. He had 13 total passes defended, 36 tackles and 1 interception in 2021. Burke will look to continue to lock down number one wide receivers in 2022.

    FS: Ronnie Hickman

     

    You could also argue that Hickman was the best defensive player for Ohio State last year. Hickman led the team in tackles with 100 which was 36 more than any other player. He was named to the second-team all-big Ten. He will look to continue to be a force all over the field in Jim Knowles new defense.

    SS: Josh Proctor

     

    Proctor was the starting safety last season before injuring his leg in the second game of the year forcing him to miss the rest of the season. In the 2020 season he had 20 tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception. Getting Proctor back this year is huge for the Buckeyes defense.

    CB (Slot): Tanner McCallister

    Ohio State Safety Tanner McCalister Loses Black Stripe - Sports Illustrated Ohio State Buckeyes News, Analysis and More

    McCallister is a graduate transfer who followed his defensive coordinator from Oklahoma State over to Ohio State. He had 42 tackles, six passes defended and one interception last season for the Cowboys. He started 23 games total for Oklahoma State the last two seasons. McCallister should make a huge impact on the defensive side of the ball for Ohio State this season.

    CB: Cam Brown

     

    Brown started almost every game last year at corner. In 2021 he had 25 tackles, seven passes defended and one interception. Brown in his in-5th season at Ohio State and is one of the most experienced players in the secondary. He has to play very well to keep hit starting spot because Jordan Hancock and Jaklin Johnson are two highly recruited sophomores looking for playing time.

     

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    Ohio State Defense
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    Ryan Keary
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    Recent graduate from SUNY Brockport with a degree in Sports Management, minoring in Communications. Making content for Ohio State and Fantasy Football. I am a Fantasy Football guru.

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