Ohio State has a sophomore defender that is becoming a breakout player and a suspicion is being confirmed
Every season, a player or two breaks out on nearly every college football team that no one was talking about before the season. It appears to be clear who one of Ohio State’s breakout players on defense is going to be. Sophomore Kayden McDonald has had a strong campaign so far in 2024 for the […]
Every season, a player or two breaks out on nearly every college football team that no one was talking about before the season. It appears to be clear who one of Ohio State’s breakout players on defense is going to be.
Sophomore Kayden McDonald has had a strong campaign so far in 2024 for the Buckeyes in a backup role. McDonald has been a force for the interior rotation behind Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton.
McDonald appears to be next in line to be a starter in the middle of the defense and perhaps to develop into an NFL player. Prior to the season, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles warned about McDonald.
“You’ve got to keep an eye on Kayden McDonald,” Knowles said back on Aug. 2. “He can be a real force.”
The true sophomore has been exactly that, a force. As a true freshman, McDonald appeared in a total of four games but had just one tackle. Now as a sophomore, he is up to nine tackles (a TFL) in four games thus far. McDonald is a former four-star recruit out of Georgia who was ranked the No. 261 player in the country in the class of 2023, according to the 247 Sports’ Composite rankings.
There is no surprise that the numbers are not eye-popping from a defensive tackle at Ohio State. Overall, the defensive line is very experienced with draft-eligible players across the board. Still, McDonald is making his presence known every time he steps on the field. McDonald is clearly the No. 3 defensive tackle on the roster behind Hamilton and Williams.
Depth is going to be as important as ever with more games to be played if you want to win a College Football Playoff. Depth in the trenches is especially important and McDonald is stepping up and providing that on the interior.
At 6-foot-3 and 326 pounds, McDonald is as strong as all get out and is hard to move off the line in the middle. He has done a good job of working through interior offensive lineman and even if he is not recording a tackle, he is putting pressure on the opposing team and what they want to do.
A very experienced Ohio State defense having underclassmen step up is a good sign for the future. That is exactly what McDonald is doing.
The college football season is about to tell us who Ohio State really is this year
Things are about to turn up a bit.
