Predicting Buckeyes defensive end depth chart
The summer offseason is in full swing, and Lettermen Row is trying to survive it with our annual Position Week breakdowns. By the time all nine units and coaching staff at Ohio State have been covered, training camp and media days will nearly have arrived, and the return of football in the Horseshoe will be just around the corner. We’re continuing with our sixth positional week — and first on the defensive side — with a unit primed for a breakout season: the Buckeyes defensive line.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is quite confident in the two starting defensive ends it has returning.
Beyond J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, the two former five-star prospects the Buckeyes have in their projected starting lineup, Larry Johnson has plenty of talent in his defensive end room. But the rotation is such an unknown because of the lack of experience.
The three defensive ends behind them all took quite different paths to potential playing time in the rotation. Caden Curry spent last season earning playing time. Kenyatta Jackson was much deeper behind the scenes developing with eyes on a role this year. Omari Abor, meanwhile, was in the training room more than on the practice field. Now all three need to step up and contribute.
“It’s a long season, and not one guy can carry all the reps,” Johnson said about his defensive ends room. “He just can’t. So they’ll end up playing, now. We just have to get them strong, get them ready to play and hope we can play early and have a chance to have really good depth down the stretch.”
Lettermen Row is breaking down what the rotation and depth chart potentially could look at for the Ohio State defensive ends this fall. Let’s dive in.
Projected defensive end depth chart
Projected starters: J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer
The top talent inside the Ohio State defensive end room is as good as any in the country. J.T. Tuimoloau is already drawing attention as a trendy All-American pick in the preseason, while Jack Sawyer made the successful spring transition from the JACK role into a traditional hand-in-the-dirt defensive end spot.
Tuimoloau was a starter last year and gained valuable experience that will set him up for a superstar junior season. Sawyer, meanwhile, has the talent needed to break out as a first-year full-time starter.
The pair of former five-star prospects can finally line up together on the defensive line to share the spotlight as game-changing edge players. This could be a special tandem up front for Ohio State.
Projected backups: Caden Curry, Omari Abor, Kenyatta Jackson
The defensive end spot has plenty of highly-rated prospects who haven’t played much at Ohio State, but that doesn’t mean it can’t develop into a deep room. Behind Tuimoloau and Sawyer, Caden Curry is a name that came up often during his freshman campaign, and he made plays when inserted into games last fall. He will have an opportunity to prove the buzz he garnered early in his career was warranted — and push for playing time next season.
But Omari Abor had a productive spring following a knee injury that sidelined him for most of last year. Oh, and Kenyatta Jackson was one of the breakout stars of spring camp, setting himself up for what could be an impressive sophomore season. Jackson will need to take what he did in spring and make it translate to the practice field in August if he will truly be the third defensive end behind Sawyer and Tuimoloau. Ohio State needs at least two of the three second-year ends to step up and become real contributors.
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