The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes have a huge matchup on Saturday against the No. 5 Texas Longhorns, and it’s a game the Buckeyes want badly to secure a premier road win early in the season over a top-5 opponent. 

Ohio State is coming off a dominant 56-3 win over Ball State, and Week 2 will represent a massive jump in competition when the Buckeyes travel down to Austin.

When Ohio State takes the field against Texas, they’ll be going up against one of their own former players. It’s now been two offseasons since former Buckeye defensive lineman Hero Kanu transferred to Texas, and he’s in his second season as a starter at defensive tackle for the Longhorns.

Ryan Day speaks highly of former Buckeye Hero Kanu

Kanu spent his first three seasons with Ohio State and never became much of an impact player on the field despite appearing in 29 games. Still, it’s clear what he meant to the locker room based on Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s recent comments.

“A tremendous person, somebody who has had a unique journey,” Day said. “You know, started off in Germany and then Santa Margarita Catholic, and then here. And when he was here, he made a lot of great friends. Some guys that are still in the locker room, and he did a lot in the community. You know, worked at a local restaurant here. He’s  somebody who has a lot of talent as well, and a good football player for sure. He’s somebody that’s well respected in the locker room, and certainly as a player.”

Kanu is off to a strong start at Texas this season

Now Kanu is one of the defensive linemen Ohio State’s interior will have to deal with on Saturday. He had a strong debut for the Longhorns this season with three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Texas State in a blowout win. Kanu made 30 tackles and two sacks last year for Texas and is expected to have an even bigger role this season.

This is a player to watch when the Buckeyes and Longhorns kick off. Kanu spent three years at Ohio State, and the Buckeyes know plenty about him. It’ll be the second time the Buckeyes have faced Kanu with the opener last season being the other time. 

Who is to say it’ll be the last? Don’t be surprised if these teams see each other again in the College Football Playoff.