How Deep Is This Defense Position By Position

How many Buckeyes are actually going to play meaningful snaps on defense this season?

In this episode of The Buckeye Weekly Podcast, Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr go position by position through Ohio State’s defense and project how deep Matt Patricia and the Buckeyes will go in the biggest games on the schedule.

The guys discuss how many defensive ends could rotate against Texas, whether Ohio State will go five deep at defensive tackle, why the linebacker rotation appears to be set at four, and whether the Buckeyes will trust a third outside corner in high-leverage situations.

They also break down Jay Timmons’ role at nickel, the possibilities for dime packages involving Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Simeon Caldwell, and whether Ohio State will mostly stick with Earl Little Jr. and Jaylen McClain at safety.

0:02 — Welcome to the Buckeye Weekly Podcast
0:39 — How deep will Ohio State go on defense?
1:43 — Defensive end rotation: four, five or even six?
3:12 — Which young defensive ends could play against Texas?
4:59 — Setting the over/under on the DE rotation
5:58 — How deep will Ohio State go at defensive tackle?
6:38 — Why five defensive tackles feels realistic
7:33 — Linebacker rotation: is four the right number?
8:31 — How many snaps could Riley Pettijohn and T.J. Alford get?
9:50 — Outside corner: two guys or three?
11:02 — Why Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. could dominate the snaps
12:00 — How Dominick Kelly could still get on the field
12:31 — Nickel and dime packages get complicated
12:54 — Jay Timmons appears locked in at nickel
13:04 — Safety rotation: Earl Little Jr. and Jaylen McClain
13:39 — Could Terry Moore or Leroy Roker get meaningful snaps?
14:04 — Final thoughts on Ohio State’s defensive depth
14:27 — BuckeyeInsiders.com and closing

Which position group do you think Ohio State can go deepest at on defense? And where do you think the Buckeyes need to keep the rotation tighter? Let us know in the comments.

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