Big Ten media days kick off this week and Ohio State’s season-opener against visiting Texas on Aug. 30 is just a little more than a month away.
The Buckeyes are the defending national champions, but they return just three starters on their defense. The trio includes senior linebacker Sonny Styles, senior cornerback Davison Igbinosun and junior safety Caleb Downs.
Ohio State led the country in scoring defense and total defense in 2024, and that unit was the biggest reason why OSU brought home the big prize.
In addition to breaking in eight new starters on defense, the Buckeyes will have a new defensive coordinator in longtime New England Patriots assistant Matt Patricia.
[Follow this link for our VIP analysis of OSU’s projected offensive depth chart.]
Let’s take a detailed look at Ohio State’s projected depth chart on defense heading into the 2025 season, including our analysis at each spot.