Could a defense be made up of Ohio State football transfers still be among the best in the Big Ten?

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State football’s defense has spent the last few months going through a makeover.

On the field, we saw younger players pass up older ones, resulting in a few in-season departures. Then an overhaul of the defensive staff led to additional exits.

Since Dallas Gant entered the transfer portal a few days following a loss to Oregon, the Buckeyes have lost 13 defensive players to the transfer portal. They range from players who spent just one year with the program to those who played plenty of Meaningful snaps over the past two seasons.

Each went looking for an opportunity to get on the field, understanding that it probably wasn’t going to happen in Columbus. All but two have ended up at Power Five programs.

Older players chose programs where they could be plug-and-play additions, just as Tanner McCalister is for OSU as an Oklahoma State transfer. Younger players went home to quality programs to continue their development.

There’s a chance that now – if not all – will have real roles in 2022. Which bring up a question.

If Ohio State had to roll out a starting defense of players they lost to the transfer portal, what would it look like and could it still be one of the Big Ten’s best?

Defensive Line

Ohio State lost four defensive linemen: Jacolbe Cowan (North Carolina), Cormontae Hamilton (Memphis), Darion Henry Young (Kentucky) and Noah Potter.

Hamilton’s the only one who didn’t come to Columbus as a defensive end, moved from tight end after one season. The best route to the field for all of them was always going to be moving inside, as Potter seemed primed to do before eye surgery forced him to miss the season.

We’ll kick Cowan and Hamilton inside as the three-technique defensive tackle and nose guard based on their sizes. We’ll keep the traditional four-down front without incorporating the Jack / Leo position since neither Henry-Young nor Potter appear to have the skill set necessary for that role.

Linebackers

By default Gant (Toledo) and K’Vaughan Pope (Tennessee State) are the starting linebackers. Gant will play the Mike since he has more experience as an inside linebacker freeing up Pope to be the Will, even if his natural position is the Sam.

Cornerbacks

This is where there’s some depth. Sevyn Banks (LSU) started the entire season as a national Championship finalist in 2020. Lejond Cavazos (North Carolina) and Ryan Watts (Texas) got an opportunity in early 2021, although it wasn’t a great first impression.

Those three give the defense a three-man rotation at the cornerback. For the sake of naming starters, Banks gets the nod given his experience, and we’ll give the other side to the Cavazos since he stuck around through the spring while Watts left before the Rose Bowl.

Safeties

Josh Proctor’s leg injury against Oregon pushed Bryson Shaw (USC) into the starting line up at free safety, now known as the Adjuster. It’s a role he’ll probably play for the Trojans when he reunites with Alex Grinch.

Craig Young (Kansas) can play strong safety AKA the Bandit. OSU was grooming him to play the Bullet version of this position before Ronnie Hickman claimed it last year. There’s some upside for Young, even if it was never tapped into a Buckeye. It won’t be surprising if he’s a breakout player for the Jayhawks.

Marcus Hooker can serve as a backup for both deep safety positions as added depth.

Andre Turrentine (Tennessee) spent one season at Ohio State. He was recruited by Kerry Coombs, who’s now at Cincinnati, and it didn’t look like he’d be part of the two-deep in Year 2. They spent the Spring Game playing the Bandit safety but on this hypothetical defense he might suit better as the nickel safety given his 6-foot, 175-pound frame. Cavazos could be a viable candidate here as well.

The Depth Chart

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