Ten Ohio State football players who earned their Buckeye leaves against Maryland

Which Buckeyes stood out to you today? #GoBucks

[autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] shook off their first half bland play to surge ahead of [autotag]Maryland[/autotag] in the second half, to earn a 37-17 win in front of a home crowd.

While the score looks good, there were still aspects of the game that have left much more to be desired. With that said, there was still plenty of good to come out of this win. That does happen when you still come out victorious, while not playing your best.

We will see more Buckeye decals on Ohio State players helmet’s next week against [autotag]Purdue[/autotag] and here are ten players that earned their’s for their play against Maryland.

Which Ohio State football players earned Buckeye leaves against Notre Dame

Which Buckeyes stood out to you? #GoBucks

It was one dramatic Saturday evening for Ohio State football, as they battled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and outlasted them for a 17-14 road victory.

The Buckeyes had a game winning 15-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, leaving the Irish with just one second left to try to scramble for a victory. It was snuffed out and elation ensued from the Ohio State sidelines.

Some of those helmets flying around will be adding more of the famed Buckeye leaf stickers before we see them next in the longest two weeks ever. These are the players that I think will have a lot more of their helmet covered up.

Ohio State statistical leaders through three games

These guys in particular could be a problem Saturday.

I admit that I probably should leave something like this to the folks overs at Buckeyes Wire. Then again, that’s the whole idea behind the College Wire sites. Every site has something unique to offer, and Fighting Irish Wire is no exception. We encourage you to check out all sites to get your college sports fix, particularly at this time of year when college football is reigning supreme throughout the land.

Now that the shameless plugging is out of the way, let’s talk about why you really clicked on this link. You want to see which Ohio State players are most likely to give Notre Dame problems in one of the most anticipated college football games of the year. These are the players who are most likely to stop a resurgent start to the season for the Irish in its tracks. You probably will see a few of them in the NFL soon.

If you aren’t familiar with these Buckeyes yet, get yourself familiar with them right now:

Ohio State defensive player-by-player PFF grades for Western Kentucky game

How did PFF grade each player’s performance on defense for the Western Kentucky game? #GoBucks

Excitement around the Ohio State fanbase is at a high as the Buckeyes just put together a dominant performance on both sides of the ball in a 63-10 win over Western Kentucky and will head to South Bend to play Notre Dame on Saturday.

The Buckeyes defense came into the Western Kentucky with just 10 points allowed in the first two games. This was considered a good test for the unit as the Hilltoppers have had good offenses in each of the past two seasons and scored 93 points in their first two games.

The defense certainly passed this test holding Western Kentucky to just 10 points and scoring two defensive touchdowns. Going further, we break down each defensive position group’s performance using Pro Football Focus grades for each player. While PFF grades aren’t the end all be all, it is a great tool to break down individual players’ performance.

The Ohio State defense gets in on the scoring action: Social media reacts

Tyleik Williams gives the Ohio State defense its first defensive touchdown of the season. #GoBucks

The Ohio State offense has been humming all day long, something Buckeye fans have been waiting for since the opening week of the season. After seeing the offense put 42 points on the board, the defense wanted in on the action.

Deep in its own territory, Western Kentucky pitched the ball to the running back when Denzel Burke put a hat on the ball and popped it loose. Steele Chambers had a chance for the scoop and score but muffed it which led to a scrum. Out of nowhere, big Tyleik Williams pulled the ball from the pile and was awarded the touchdown.

The guys in the trenches don’t always get a lot of air time, but when something like this happens, they make the most of it and Williams gave the cameras an eyeful. Let’s check out some of the best social media reactions.

Giants add wide receiver in PFN’s way-too-early 2024 mock draft

The New York Giants add a wide receiver and safety before addressing depth in the latest 7-round 2024 mock draft from Pro Football Network.

[anyclip pubname=”2123″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8169″]

NFL training camps open this week, so hopefully this will be the end of 2024 mock drafts. But until the 2023 regular season news cycle kicks off, we will continue to entertain these exercises.

In a recent seven-round 2024 mock draft from Pro Football Network, one in which has the New York Giants selecting 20th overall (which means they qualified for the postseason this year), Big Blue is expected to continue to augment their passing attack.

20) New York Giants: Malik Nabers, WR, LSU

The Giants have assembled a respectable weapons corps for Daniel Jones. Darren Waller and Jalin Hyatt, in particular, should be very important additions from the 2023 offseason. But Parris Campbell is on a one-year deal, Isaiah Hodgins could be prone to a regression, and Wan’Dale Robinson hasn’t proven himself effective at the NFL level just yet. New York could use a true three-level threat to underpin the unit, and Malik Nabers fits the bill.

Though he weighs under 200 pounds, Nabers is one of the most effusive three-level threats in the 2024 NFL Draft WR class. Before the catch, he can offset and stack DBs with his combined lateral agility, foot speed, and explosiveness. At the catch, he’s a bird of prey with his reach, flexibility, and coordination. And after the catch, he has the speed and unnatural size-relative contact balance to consistently extend plays.

The analysis is pretty much spot on. The Giants do have a group of unprovens at the wide receiver position and if none of them can earn the respect of the team, they’ll likely be looking elsewhere for solutions.

With their second pick (No. 53 overall), PFN predicts the Giants will go back down to Maryland for another defensive back in safety Beau Brade.

Brade is another riser to keep an eye on as the 2024 NFL Draft progresses. Already, his strong 2022 tape has gone under the radar, but the 6’0″, 201-pound safety is an incredibly dynamic and versatile defender. He’s very natural roaming in coverage, explosive and energized when attacking downhill, a willing blitzer, and can make plays on the ball.

Not out of the realm of possibility given they could walk away from Xavier McKinney if he cannot overcome his hand injury and/or grasp the mantle as the leader in the secondary this year.

In the third round, PFN has the Giants taking Ohio State defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.

Williams is a unique prospect. He’s 6’3″, 320 pounds, and has the strength to encumber blocks and prevent displacement, but he also shows flashes of surprising one-on-one pass-rush proficiency. The Giants like those types of larger interior linemen.

The rest of the draft unfolds as follows:

  • Round 4, Pick 116 — Darian Chestnut, DB, LSU
  • Round 5, Pick 148 — Walter Parks, G, Clemson
  • Round 6, Pick 180 — Cedrick Gray, LB, North Carolina
  • Round 7, Pick 212 — Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma

[lawrence-related id=712482,712484,712468]

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Top three defensive tackles in the Big Ten for 2023

Ohio State football may have the two most talented defensive tackles in the Big Ten #GoBucks #B1G

The Big Ten is incredibly deep at the defensive end position with a few unique pass rushers set to turn the college football world on its head, but the interior is a different story.

It was hard to narrow the defensive end list to three, but for the defensive tackle list, it was hard to find three even worthy of mention. We saw two Ohio State players be ranked in the top two spots at end and it appears that the interior rankings will have the same outlook, but much like at end these rankings are based more on projections than confirmed production.

BOOM! Ohio State gets a commitment from transfer SEC defensive tackle

The rumors were true and finish with a BOOM! #GoBucks

The Ole Miss to [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] transfer pipeline this offseason has been flowing.

During the initial transfer period, the Buckeyes landed cornerback Davison Igbinosun, who will play an integral role this fall.

Today, another former member of the Rebels is following Igbinosun, defensive tackle [autotag]Tywone Malone[/autotag]. Earlier today the buzz was that the 6-foot, 4-inch, 305-pound defensive lineman was trending to Columbus. Turns out those rumors were true.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

What remains to be known is if Malone will play baseball for the Buckeyes, as he did for the Rebels. He only played in a few games over the last two years but showed big-time power. Three of his five hits went over the fence.

Like on the diamond, Malone didn’t see the field much for the Rebels in two seasons registering just 13 tackles and 2 sacks. He was a top prospect coming out of high school, the Buckeyes offered him then as well.

Malone now lands in Columbus with the expectation that he will add some depth to the defensive tackle unit. [autotag]Mike Hall Jr[/autotag]., [autotag]Ty Hamilton[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyleik Williams[/autotag] all should be contributors this fall barring injuries. You can now add Malone to that list as the Buckeyes just got a bit deeper.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

[mm-video type=video id=01gzbxw8bn5vhvb98gpf playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gzbxw8bn5vhvb98gpf/01gzbxw8bn5vhvb98gpf-960ba811c97e8ebaaa0d6b320d8ab805.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.

Ohio State makes transfer defensive tackle’s top 5

The Buckeyes are looking to add defensive line depth from the portal #GoBucks

Although spring practice is coming to a close, Ohio State continues looking to add depth to its defensive line, specifically the interior.

Last year [autotag]Mike Hall[/autotag] had trouble staying on the field due to injuries and [autotag]Tyleik Williams[/autotag] played sparingly behind him, [autotag]Taron Vincent[/autotag] and [autotag]Jerron Cage[/autotag]. Defensive line coach [autotag]Larry Johnson[/autotag] rotates plenty of bodies within his position group, so depth is paramount.

Enter former Maryland defensive tackle [autotag]Tank Booker[/autotag]. The Ohio native entered the portal at the beginning of March after spending his first four seasons with Maryland. He enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022, registering 27 tackles with two sacks and two forced fumbles.

Booker released his top five schools Saturday with Ohio State making the cut along with Purdue, South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas A&M.

According to this report from Hale McGranahan of 247Sports, Booker is set to make his choice on April 12. We will know soon where Tank will end up.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

[mm-video type=video id=01gx3vb09qwyqstc14ch playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gx3vb09qwyqstc14ch/01gx3vb09qwyqstc14ch-dd68df4fa5a4e654e31b981b3e9c54fb.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.

Current Ohio State defensive tackles and their 247Sports rankings

Current Ohio State defensive tackles and their 247Sports rankings #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team has seven defensive tackles on scholarship and all were relatively high recruits based on their 247Sports recruiting rating. The interior of the defensive line showed flashes of excellence, but they were honestly a tad underwhelming. No one lived up to the hype and watching Georgia really showed how far that interior of the defensive line needs to develop to be elite.

Michael Hall was a guy who was receiving huge praise from the coaching staff and teammates, and was even compared to Aaron Donald but faded towards the end of the season. Hero Kanu was just a true freshman last season, but it is only a matter of time before a player of his size is forced to see the field. Tyleik Williams is another player who showed flashes of brilliance but also had stretches of non-existence. Enough speculation though, let’s dive into the rankings of these studs.