The Ohio State Buckeyes are heading into 2026 with a defense that will look dramatically different from the unit that took the field last season. With as many as eight new starters set to step up, the linebacker room stands out as one of the biggest areas of need following the departures of Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese to the NFL. 

Ohio State has talented younger players ready to fill those voids, and one name generating early buzz is second-year linebacker Riley Pettijohn.

Riley Pettijohn is impressing after missing spring

Pettijohn missed all of spring practice while recovering from an offseason procedure, which put him behind schedule entering a crucial year for Ohio State’s linebacking corps. However, the early returns from summer workouts have been encouraging.

“Pettijohn missed all of spring practice due to an offseason procedure,” Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook wrote. “But sources tell LR that he has impressed in a big way this summer after returning from the training room. He and Alford have both “stepped up big time” ahead of a critical second training camp in Columbus.”

That’s a strong development for a Buckeyes defense counting on young players to take major leaps. Pettijohn and TJ Alford are entering their second year in Columbus after playing as true freshmen last season. Pettijohn himself appeared in 13 games as a freshman, recording nine tackles, one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery he returned 23 yards for a touchdown, along with one pass breakup.

Ohio State has a big recruiting win ready to deliver

Pettijohn was a big-time recruiting win for the Buckeyes out of Texas. The 6-foot-2, 231-pound linebacker is expected to push toward the top of Ohio State’s depth chart at the position this year, with players like Payton Pierce and Christian Alliegro, the Wisconsin transfer, also set to carry roles.

Missing spring practice hurts, there’s no way around it. But it sounds like Pettijohn is taking full advantage of Ohio State’s summer workouts and is in a great spot ahead of what will be his second season with the program.

Beyond Pettijohn and Alford, Ohio State’s linebacker depth in 2026 will include Garrett Stover, second-year linebacker Eli Lee, and freshmen Cincere Johnson and Braxton Rembert. The Buckeyes have the bodies to reload at the position. The question now is how quickly those younger players can develop the cohesion needed to replace what Styles and Reese brought to the defense.

This fall camp will be telling.