Greg McElroy is banking on one particular detail of Ryan Day's resume when projecting Ohio State's 2025 defense
The Ohio State Buckeyes saw a ton of turnover after winning its first National Championship in a decade. The offense will be hardly recognizable outside of Jeremiah Smith, and the defense might be just as confusing for fans for the first few games. Caleb Downs is arguably the most well-known defender in the country, but […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes saw a ton of turnover after winning its first National Championship in a decade. The offense will be hardly recognizable outside of Jeremiah Smith, and the defense might be just as confusing for fans for the first few games. Caleb Downs is arguably the most well-known defender in the country, but the Buckeyes are replacing eight other starters.
They also saw multiple coaches depart the program, including defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. While Ohio State is able to reload and avoid a rebuild, there's a lot of moving pieces entering 2025. Internal development and continued growth are needed for this unit to be effective.
The bar is high in Columbus, even if fans are content with however 2025 plays out as long as it features a win against Michigan. But should they have title aspirations? If the preseason ranking of their defense from one analyst proves correct, then the team's ceiling will be redefined.
Former Alabama quarterback and current On3 analyst Greg McElroy is extremely optimistic about the Buckeyes' defense in 2025, ranking them as his second-best unit entering the fall.
The reigning national champion Buckeyes had the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense in 2024 (12.9 ppg) but is replacing its DC with former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia. Certainly helping matters is the return of versatile superstar Caleb Downs as well fellow safety Sonny Styles and CB Davison Igbinosun. McElroy is also high on UNC transfer pass rusher Beau Atkinson as “an immediate impact player.”
McElroy: “You lose your defensive coordinator … but you bring in Matt Patricia to replace Jim Knowles. Longtime NFL assistant, former head coach, … bringing that NFL experience. … He’s a really smart, fundamentally-sound coach that is going to get the most out some of his returning talent. … There’s a bunch of new faces, but the way they’ve recruited, the way they’ve developed, I’m just not concerned.”
It's hard to believe someone wouldn't be concerned about such a young and unproven unit. The Buckeyes lack proven bodies along the defensive line, most notably the interior. While Eddrick Houston was promising as a freshman, losing Hero Kanu to Texas was a major blow.
The secondary has some decent experience and a lot of talent, and the linebacker corps should be phenomenal. Still, No. 2 in the country with a new coordinator seems a bit lofty for how many new pieces are working in.
A big part of that has to do with Ryan Day's recruiting ability. Not only has Ohio State performed well with high schoolers, but they're an elite transfer landing spot. McElroy made it clear he trusts Day's staff to have the best talent available at all times, and has the faith they'll be in the right position to develop despite skepticism.
