Ohio State must reload defensively for the second consecutive year.
With several special players departing — safety Caleb Downs and linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles chief among them — perhaps the most difficult player to find a like-for-like replacement will be nose tackle Kayden McDonald.
The big man in the middle was not your average nose tackle. A rare combination of size, strength, and explosive quickness, McDonald emerged over the last two years as one of the most disruptive defensive
linemen in college football.
He racked up 65 tackles in 2025 to finish fifth on the nation’s best defense and added a whopping nine tackles for loss — fourth best on Ohio State. The Suwanee, Georgia native also chipped in three sacks, two forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries, and a pass defended.
McDonald was the critical interior piece that allowed Ohio State to excel in short-yardage and goal-line defense, often taking out two blockers and allowing those behind him to penetrate and make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. He played himself into what should be a great position in the 2026 NFL draft.
How will Ryan Day and Matt Patricia replace a player of McDonald’s quality? It might require a group approach in 2026.
John Walker may be the closest thing to a straight swap. The January transfer portal arrival out of UCF is 6-foot-4 and 324 pounds, mirroring McDonald’s 6-foot-3, 326-pound frame. Walker finished sixth on the Knights in tackles in 2025, with 40, but he produced just three tackles for loss last year.
That isn’t too concerning when you consider that McDonald only tallied 1.5 tackles for loss in 2024 and that Walker was a redshirt sophomore in his first season as a starter. Walker may not flirt with double figures, but he could double (or better) his 2025 total at Ohio State.
If he can gum up the works in the run game and get push up the middle on pass plays, Walker will be a vaulable addition to the team.
Will Smith Jr. is another guy who can spend time at nose tackle. While he lacks some of the beef that McDonald and Walker have at 292 pounds, another off-season in the weight room and the training table for this legacy Buckeye could add some weight and muscle to the 6-foot-4 Dublin Coffman product.
Smith is coming off a 20-tackle season as a backup and with a year in Patricia’s defense under his belt, that may provide him with an advantage to getting reps and the coaching staff’s trust. As the No. 8 overall player from Ohio in the 2023 recruiting class, the time is now for Smith’s development to match his potential.
Plus, it would just feel good to see former Buckeye great Will Smith’s son out there making plays for the Silver Bullets.
Although both Eddrick Houston and Alabama transfer James Smith project more as a 3-technique defensive tackle, I’m not going to rule out something unconventional from Patricia, who could use either player at the nose tackle at times.
The duo seem poised to fight it out to replace Tywone Malone, Jr., but at 6-foot-2 and 314 pounds, James Smith is built more like McDonald than Will Smith, Jr. Houston was listed at 6-foot-3 and 292 pounds in 2025, but again, he may have the frame to bulk up a bit and be asked to eat up space — and double teams — in the middle of the line.
A dark horse candidate to get some snaps is Emanuel Ruffin, a four-star in the incoming 2026 class out of Bessemer City, Alabama. Ohio State’s website lists Ruffin at 6-foot-3 and 282 pounds, so he’d need to bulk up a bit, and he is young enough that he may still be growing.
He’ll be raw, but what jumps out in watching Ruffin on tape is that he may have the initial burst of quickness and the ability to shrug off blockers that McDonald brought to the position last year.
While replacing McDonald with one new starter would be ideal, the Buckeyes have several options that bring different looks to the position. Patricia may be able to use multiple defensive lineman in the position based on situational factors.
The added bonus to that approach is keeping guys fresh deep into the fourth quarter and late in the season. Expecting similar production is probably unrealistic, but there is plenty of talent on the roster.
