The Ohio State Buckeyes are 3-1 on the 2026 college football season, and the offense has been electric as expected. Ohio State owns the 6th-ranked scoring offense in the country, averaging 45 points per game. 

However, the defense tells a different story. The Buckeyes are holding teams to 12.3 points per game, tied for 11th nationally, but total yardage allowed sits at 27th in the country. That number is not good enough if the Buckeyes want to reach their biggest goals this season: beating Michigan, winning a Big Ten championship, and winning a national championship.

Ohio State has a lot of new faces on defense playing major roles this season, and all of that turnover is part of why the unit is not as good as it was in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s first year. Still, one thing that clearly needs to change for the Buckeyes is that true freshman Khary Wilder needs to get more playing time.

Khary Wilder has earned more snaps

Wilder has been impactful when he has played this season, and getting him more reps is going to cut into other players’ playing time. One player who needs to see less time on the field is former North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson.

Atkinson was a transfer portal addition for the Buckeyes two years ago out of North Carolina, where he had 7.5 sacks in 2024. He has had a difficult switch over to playing in the Big Ten. Atkinson wasn’t as productive in 2025 for Ohio State when he didn’t play as much, posting one sack in 11 games. So far this season, he has a half sack in four games and eight tackles to go along with it. He had a strong offseason for the Buckeyes, but the play is not translating to the field, and Ohio State needs to give guys behind him who are younger more reps to be ready for the stretch run of the season.

Atkinson has not worked out at Ohio State after being here for two years. He’s now a senior, and the Buckeyes need to make a tough decision on cutting his snaps way down.

Atkinson played 19 defensive snaps against Illinois, and Wilder had 17 snaps. Alabama transfer Qua Russaw saw 47 snaps at the edge position, and he hasn’t found his footing either. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is leading the way with 63 snaps, and that is fine, he’s expected to be the team’s top pass rusher. The Buckeyes need Jackson to become a more dominant presence this season if the defense wants to reach its full potential.

One thing is clear: Wilder needs more snaps, and Atkinson needs to take a back seat in this defensive end rotation. Atkinson’s inability to get pressure on the quarterback has been a consistent problem for two seasons. He doesn’t have great athleticism off the edge, lacks bend, and he’s not a player who has been a great fit for Ohio State’s defensive line.

The Buckeyes have the talent and the offensive firepower to compete for everything this season. Whether the defense can catch up to the offense will depend on decisions like this one.