Ryan Day’s sweeping defensive coaching changes and a newly-released field turf design signify 2022 as a year of new beginnings for Ohio State.

The 2022 season will be out with the old and in with the new for the Ohio State football team. Ohio State’s Department of Athletics released the brand new field design for the turf in Ohio Stadium. The renovations will commence in June at The Horseshoe and the Woody Hayes Athletic Center practice fields. 

However, the field turf will not be the only upgrade the Buckeyes have next year as a revamped coaching staff will debut. The additions of Jim Knowles, Perry Eliano, and Tim Walton will bolster a talented but raw returning defense. Expect a far-improved defensive unit with a philosophy and scheme change. The Silver Bullets will force the opposing offenses to react to what Ohio State runs rather than the Buckeyes doing the adapting. 

Defensive Moves

Knowles’ goal is for his defense to be the aggressors and create indecision. Ohio State had glaring weaknesses on the defensive front last year due to injuries, scheme, and execution. But that will not be the case in the years ahead. 

The Rose Bowl was a great victory and entertaining matchup against Utah that unleashed the raw power of the offense, yet exposed the defense’s shortcomings. 

Ryan Day is proving he will continue the tradition at Ohio State by upholding the standard of excellence as evident by his personnel decisions this off-season. Day knows the foundation he’s building on in Columbus and the talent pool available, which is why an average defense cannot hold back a championship-level offense any longer. 

Ohio State’s 2022 Outlook

The back end of the Ohio State defense was full of youth and inexperience. However, the Silver Bullets will now look to be one of the top units in the country. Cornerback Denzel Burke will be tasked with locking down the top receiver as he did last year.  Also, the Buckeyes added Oklahoma State transfer Tanner McCalister to the secondary alongside Josh Proctor, who will be returning from injury. 

Historically, Ohio State defenses are fast, physical, and dictate the game rather than being out-manned as we saw in recent big matchups. The Buckeyes will feature multiple fronts and looks to confuse opponents where the linebackers will be key.

The Linebackers came on at times during the year but evidently needed better coaching and time to develop. Tommy Eichenberg received a lot of flack during the season but finished it strong in Pasadena. TE Cade Stover and RB Steele Chambers successfully transitioned from offense to defense last season. The two will look to find prominent roles in 2022 as well as arguably the most physical linebackers down the stretch.

Ohio State opens the season in an intriguing matchup at home against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes will debut a new-look defense and elite offense with CJ Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and TreVeyon Henderson. The slipping and sliding mishaps will be gone as the new field turf will aid in Ohio State’s championship quest.

Image Credit: The Ohio State University Department of Athletics