Biggest Concerns: The Ohio State defense will take a step back this year
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From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about our Biggest Concerns. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our Biggest Concerns here.
Heading into the 2025 season there was questions about how the Ohio State defense would look in the first season under defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. The Buckeyes didn’t take long to alleviate any concerns fans might have had, holding Arch Manning and Texas to just a touchdown in the season opener.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe defense would go on to allow hold their first five opponents of the season to single digits, and didn’t allow more than 16 points in their first 13 games of the season. Unfortunately the most points they allowed in a game came in their most important game of the season when Miami scored 24 points in the Cotton Bowl.
Last year’s Ohio State defense had NFL talent at each level.
Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and defensive end Cayden Curry were selected in April’s NFL Draft. Linebackers Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and safety Caleb Downs were selected in the first 12 picks. Joining those five in the professional ranks is cornerback Davison Igbinosun, who came off the board in the third round.
Often times Ohio State doesn’t rebuild, it reloads. There’s no question there is plenty of talent to fill the holes the defense will have to fill from last year’s squad. Not only do the Buckeyes have homegrown talent who are itching to get their shot, they also put in a lot of work in the transfer portal during the offseason.
James Smith and Qua Russow from Alabama were additions on the defensive line, Christian Alliegro comes in from Wisconsin at linebacker, while Terry Moore from Duke and Earl Little Jr. from Florida State will look to make an impact in the secondary.
Along with the transfers, there are some key returning players from last year’s squad. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. will look to improve on a solid 2025 season. Payton Pierce is ready to step into a starting role at linebacker. Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Jaylen McClain are now the elder statesman of the secondary.
We have seen these players on the field and know what they can do, but will they be able to take the next step and minimize the losses of the players from last year’s squad?
AdvertisementAdvertisementEven though a lot of these transfers have experience playing at Power 4 schools, it’s not easy to replace players that are the caliber of Reese, Styles, Downs, and others that have departed.
Is there a player who is an athletic freak like Arvell Reese? Can anyone even come close to diagnosing plays like Caleb Downs did at safety? Is there anyone who can clog the middle of the line like Kayden McDonald?
We truly won’t know the answer to these questions until we see Ohio State in actual football games this fall.
Another thing that is worrying about the Ohio State defense this year is they’ll be going up against a lot tougher schedule this season. Aside from the season opener against Texas, there wasn’t really any big hurdles for the Buckeyes during the regular season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThat won’t be the case this year.
Ohio State will travel to Austin for their second game of the season. Once the Buckeyes step into Big Ten play they have road tests at Indiana, USC, and Nebraska. Coming to Columbus this year will be Illinois, Oregon, and Michigan.
Just look at some of the quarterbacks Ohio State will have to try and slow down. Arch Manning, Dante Moore, Jayden Maiava, Josh Hoover, and a number of others. If the Buckeye defense is able to hold all of those quarterbacks to less than 20 points in the regular season than they undoubtedly would be the best defense college football has ever seen.
Another factor working against the Ohio State defense this year is opposing offensive coordinators are now going to have a year of tape of the type of schemes Matt Patricia could use. Even though Patricia was a defensive coordinator at the NFL level for years, it’s a little different doing it in college football.
AdvertisementAdvertisementLook at what Miami was able to do with a couple weeks to prepare for the Buckeye defense. While the Hurricanes didn’t tear Patricia’s defense apart, they were able to find some holes and keep Ohio State’s offense off the field for stretches.
It’s going to be really tough to replicate what last year’s defense did. The key will be is to not fall too far off of the level we saw in 2025. Matt Patricia and Ryan Day have been doing this long enough and know how to make adjustments from year-to-year and even game-to-game.
As long as this year’s Buckeye defense doesn’t look like they are being coached by Alex Grinch then Ohio State should have a really good chance at winning another national title.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
