Ohio State made some big-time changes to their defensive staff, adding Jim Knowles, Perry Eliano, and Tim Walton. The only defensive staff member remaining is defensive line coach Larry Johnson. Why?

Johnson is the best defensive line coach in college football. Not much of an argument can be made against that statement, and that’s just the plain truth. Whether it’s the track record that he has of players going early in the NFL Draft or the fact that he has the ability to recruit anyone, anywhere thanks to his relational skills, Johnson has been nothing short of incredible for the Buckeyes since the moment he arrived in Columbus.

This year though, the Buckeye defense wasn’t up to the standard that Ohio State generally prides itself on, and the defensive line was no exception. It wasn’t a horrible position group by any means, but they weren’t the Silver Bullets we’ve come accustomed to seeing. With the defense arguably costing Ohio State a chance at a national title, Ryan Day had to make changes on that side of the ball in order to get back to where the defense needs to be to get back to the College Football Playoff.

With all that being said, Johnson has had quite the run the past two years on the recruiting trail. He brought in a pair of 2021 five-stars in Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, not to mention Tyleik Williams who made an impact almost immediately. The class of 2022 has been no exception. At the moment, he has locked up premier recruits in Omari Abor, Caden Curry, Hero Kanu, and Kenyatta Jackson. With inconsistency in pass rush and getting push at the line of scrimmage being a major theme this past year, look for these massively talented prospects to flip the script for the buckeyes.

The reality is, any heat thrown Larry Johnson’s way for the way the D- Line played is probably unfair at this point. Many of the defensive short comings were completely out of his control. His track record speaks for itself and then some, and with the talent he’s amassed these past two class, I believe that Ohio State fans will be quick to forget any criticism they once had for Johnson in the near future.