Five Questions as Buckeyes return star-studded linebackers
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 seventh positional week with a unit that returns its biggest stars: the Buckeyes linebackers.
COLUMBUS — Jim Knowles expected a lot from his defense last season, and it started with his linebackers unit.
Now in Year Two in his defensive system at Ohio State, Knowles continues to set the bar high. Why wouldn’t he? Knowles has both of his starting linebackers returning to build a defense around.
“There’s the opportunity to be the best,” Knowles said. “To make across the board improvements from what was already an improved defense, but the expectation to be a top-five defense that everyone can count on all the time.
“That’s there. I’ve seen enough.”
The Buckeyes defense will go as its linebackers go. Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers will lead the way. But the talent behind those two is there, as well.
Lettermen Row is beginning its week-long deep-dive into the Ohio State linebackers with five questions for the unit that returns stars and boasts plenty of talent behind them, waiting for their turns. Let’s dive in.
Will Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers deliver special campaign for Ohio State?
Ohio State received good news early in the offseason, when Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers both put off the NFL Draft for one more year with the Buckeyes. Those decisions mean the Buckeyes return their two starting linebackers and top tacklers from a season ago. That’s a huge boost for the Ohio State defense, especially as Eichenberg has become a lead cornerstone of the Jim Knowles defense as it enters Year Two under the system. What do Eichenberg and Chambers have in store for this fall? After combining for 197 total tackles last season, the expectation is that both of them will lead the way for an improved defense. They’re expected to be the top linebacker tandem in the country, to each land on the All-Big Ten team and push for All-America honors. Those aren’t easy to reach. But Eichenberg and Chambers have set the bar high for an incredible season ahead. Can they live up to it?
What does Buckeyes rotation look like?
Eichenberg and Chambers were on the field for nearly all of the Buckeyes snaps last season, especially considering the defense was in a two-linebacker look for a vast majority of games. That meant little playing time for veteran Cody Simon, who showed that he can be a reliable rotational linebacker. It also meant a scarce use of the JACK hybrid position, which could be occupied by Mitchell Melton or C.J. Hicks this fall. Ohio State feels good about the depth built in its linebackers room, giving a chance for Simon, Melton, Hicks and other potential contributors Reid Carrico and Gabe Powers to find their way onto the field for playing time. No, Eichenberg and Chambers don’t need to be sidelined for long, but a rotation would benefit the Buckeyes as they hope to play well into January. They’ve got the depth to deploy a rotation.
Where does C.J. Hicks fit?
The rotational talking point brings us to Hicks, who did not play a single snap at linebacker last fall. Despite entering the Buckeyes program as a top-rated five-star linebacker recruit, Hicks watched from the sideline, learned under the starters and found a home on special teams in Year One. Expect that to change in a big way come August camp.
“C.J. is a guy who I’m predicting sometime this season we’re gonna see him really unleash,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said this summer. “The good thing is, he’s not pressed into service because of the veterans in front of him. And I think that’s helped him to be able to play more relaxed. But, at some point this year, we’ll be able to see C.J.’s athletic ability. I think he’s just on the cusp of breaking out.”
Where will Hicks break out? That remains to be seen. He could work his way into the rotation as he gears up for a future starting role — or he could wind up as the hybrid JACK player and begin to show why he was a five-star talent this fall. He is talented enough to do anything the Buckeyes ask of him. Now it’s on the coaching staff to determine where he fits best into the defensive system — and then unleash him.
How does James Laurinaitis addition impact linebacker room?
Ohio State made a splash hire this offseason when it poached legendary Buckeyes linebacker James Laurinaitis from the Notre Dame coaching staff, bringing him home to coach at his alma mater. His presence inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center is already paying off. The three-time All-American and Butkus Award winner has been praised by the Buckeyes current linebackers for his teaching style, personality and coaching ability. He is a good recruiter for the program when recruits come on campus, and he’ll be a big part of the program moving forward. His addition has a chance to benefit Chambers, Eichenberg and the rest of the current crop of linebackers. How his role changes over time remains to be seen. So far, so good for Laurinaitis’ return to Ohio State.
Are young linebackers progressing for future?
All the attention will be on Hicks, who will be a star for Ohio State sooner rather than later. But Powers is another second-year linebacker who needs to begin showing he can be a part of the equation once Eichenberg and Chambers depart. As does Reid Carrico, who enters his third year still scrapping for playing time, now or later. Freshman summer-enrollee Arvell Reese enters the program with high expectations. He’ll need to begin showing he can become a starting-level linebacker later in his career once training camp opens next month. The future of the position at Ohio State should be in good hands if the young talent shows promise.
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