Ohio State’s defensive staff faces the challenge of replacing seven NFL draft picks from a historic defense.

In 2025, Ohio State boasted a defense that stood out in a program already rich in defensive history. At the year’s end, they led the nation in Scoring Defense (9.3 PPG), Passing Defense (129.7 YPG), and Total Defense by allowing just 219 total yards per game- 35 less than any other unit in the country.

They were the first OSU unit in over 90 years to hold opponents to under 100 rushing yards in 10+ consecutive games, even as offenses try to push the tempo in modern-day college football. According to Metrics Consensus by Andrew Percival, Ohio State’s 2025 unit ranks as the No. 3 defense of the past 80 years just behind 2011 Alabama and the historic 2021 Georgia who sent 14 defenders to the NFL, including 7 of them going in the first round.

Defensive Line

The Silver Bullets had a stacked NFL draft of their own this past April, with 7 Buckeyes on defense selected, including 3 in the first round. Replacing such high-end and productive talent will be an enormous hurdle for Matt Patricia and his staff heading into the fall.

On the defensive line, OSU lost two stalwarts on the inside with Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry. McDonald’s presence will be the largest void to fill in the middle. As with any line, there needs to be an anchor in the middle who eats up blocks, closes gaps, and creates space for other defenders to be able to make plays. Kayden was especially adept at doing just that, which earned him the 36th overall selection of the draft.

Knowing the challenge at hand, Ohio State went out and acquired a handful of potential options in the portal this past January. One acquisition stands out the most for replacing McDonald, and that is James Smith. The 6’ 3 297 defensive tackle started twelve games, logging 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks in his third year with the Crimson Tide in 2025.

In spring, Smith immediately stood out to OSU’s staff, with Coach Day stating in a presser, “James has flashed, I think the biggest thing (Larry Johnson) is challenging James with is being able to sustain a high level of play for a long period of time and being disciplined in the defense. The plays will come to him. But you can see the talent. You can see how much he loves to play.” This is high praise early on for James, and it is clear that the staff has challenged him to take the next step to become their next ‘stalwart’ in the middle of that line.

Linebackers

Perhaps the most ‘unknown’ lies in the linebacker room heading into this season. The Buckeyes lost two of the most talented players to play the position for the scarlet and gray in Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, who were taken 5th and 7th in the NFL draft, respectively.

The imposing duo combined for 151 tackles, 16.5 TFL, and 7.5 Sacks in 2025, disrupting offenses on countless occasions. Of course, LB coach James Laurinaitis is another all-time great at the position and has shown he is more than capable of developing talent at OSU. Still, the fact remains that he has to replace a massive amount of production and football IQ.

Portal addition Christian Alliegro will most likely be the first cog in replenishing the linebacker room. The high-IQ Wisconsin transfer, whose name was called plenty during the spring game, is expected to be the most experienced and dependable option for OSU to start the Fall.

Along with Christian will likely be a heavy dose of Payton Pierce, who James Laurainitis has spoken highly of and certainly expects to take the next step in 2026. James has also mentioned names like TJ Alford, Riley Pettijohn, and Garrett Stover as guys who he sees potentially having an impact this year, so it can be assumed for now that the linebacker position will see a fair amount of rotation in 2026.

Secondary

Ohio State’s secondary lost three very experienced and important leaders in Caleb Downs, Davis Igbinosun, and Lorenzo Styles Jr. Styles not only served as a dependable safety for OSU but also the team’s return man in 2025 as he took the first punt return to the house since Jalin Marshall did so back in 2014.

The physical presence that was Igbinosun became the most dependable cornerback for the Buckeyes in 2025 and had by far the most experience at the position. On the other side of the field would often be the true freshman Devin Sanchez, who profiles as the next CB1 for Ohio State. Sanchez, who had his own struggles at times, still garnered invaluable experience in 2025 and progressed as the season went on.

In the slot, OSU will utilize a combination of Jermaine Matthews and FSU transfer Earl Little Jr. Matthews, who struggled in some key moments for the Buckeyes, will assuredly have something to prove to the staff this season if he wants to be viewed as a truly dependable, any-down option.

Another option at cornerback who impressed the staff this spring was UGA transfer Dominick Kelly, who came in as a raw but high-potential addition for OSU. Look for Kelly to be thrown into the mix early in the fall, possibly.

Replacing Caleb Downs will perhaps be the single greatest challenge that Matt Patricia and his staff face. Downs was obviously a physically gifted athlete, but the intangibles that he brought to the Buckeye defense were invaluable. These attributes are what made him the 11th overall pick in this year’s NFL draft at the Safety position.

This is where key transfers Terry Moore (Duke) and Earl Little Jr (FSU) come into the picture. Little became a popular name during the spring, as the staff as a whole was enamored with his leadership qualities and his ability to play multiple positions. He appears to be a mainstay on the defense this year, which likely means that Terry Moore will be plugged into a more traditional run-stopping Safety role as he sees his first game action since his ACL injury at Duke.

Replacing the talent lost from 2025 is undoubtedly a storyline to watch come this fall, but if Ohio State fans know anything at all, it’s that OSU is more than capable of a ‘reload’ in 2026.