Going into the 2021 season, it looked like Ohio State's veteran depth on the defensive line could limit opportunities for the Buckeyes' freshman defensive linemen to play. In Ohio State's fourth game of the season against Akron, however, many of those veteran defensive linemen won't even be available to play.
Three of the Buckeyes' four most experienced defensive ends are unavailable to play against Akron, as Tyreke Smith and Javontae Jean-Baptiste are both out this week along with Tyler Friday, who's out for the season. At defensive tackle, Taron Vincent is out this week while Noah Potter also remains unavailable.