In recent seasons, the Ohio State defense has been heavily comprised of Scarlet and Gray veterans — for better or for worse. And I know which way I lean. This is not meant to imply that experienced Buckeye defenders failed to make an impact because many did. However, I think it’s fair to say that the (apparent) anti-youth movement resulted in a unit on the field that lacked an exceptionally high ceiling. Or at least high-ceiling players.
No offense to guys like Taron Vincent, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, and/or Cam Brown, but I think we all sort of knew what to expect from them in 2022.