Ohio State enters this week’s game against Maryland with a 4-1 record. The only loss for the Buckeyes came by a point to Texas, who is currently the top-ranked team in the country. Most recently, Ohio State went on the road into a tough environment at Iowa and handled their business in the 31-14 win over the Hawkeyes. With how they’ve played so far this season, the Buckeyes are not only a threat to make the College Football Playoff; they could also win their second national championship in the last
three years.
A lot of Ohio State’s success on the field can be attributed to players who were expected to have big seasons. Jeremiah Smith has already rewritten the receiving records for the Buckeyes and is looking like the favorite for the Heisman Trophy. Julian Sayin is now in his second season as starting quarterback after being named a Heisman Trophy finalist last season. On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is leading the team in sacks.
To go along with the usual suspects, there are some names who weren’t too well known prior to the season but who are becoming household names now for Buckeye fans. Some transfers take some time to earn the trust and admiration of fans, then there are underclassmen who see their play increase as the season moves along. Those who at the beginning of the season are farther down the depth chart can work their way into more playing time.
Today we want to know which Ohio State player has been unexpectedly surprising this year. Both sides of the football this year have players who are standing out who there wasn’t a lot of talk about heading into this season. Who deserves recognition for exceeding expectations so far?
Today’s question: Which Buckeye has been the most pleasant surprise this season?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Ja’Kobi Jackson
I’ll be honest, when it was announced that Ja’Kobi Jackson was joining Ohio State for his seventh season of college football, I didn’t think much about Jackson’s commitment. Jackson had a solid 2024 season, rushing for 509 yards and seven touchdowns. Then in 2025, Jackson only saw 27 carries for a Florida team that ended up firing their head coach. While Jackson could definitely bring the Buckeyes some veteran leadership in the running back room, his numbers didn’t exactly move the needle.
Another reason I wasn’t expecting much from Ja’Kobi Jackson is that it looked like the top of the Ohio State depth chart at running back was set with Bo Jackson and Isaiah West. Then there was a wild card with incoming freshman Legend Bey, who has earned comparisons to Reggie Bush. If you had to ask me when we’d see Ja’Kobi Jackson on the field in 2026, my answer would have been in games where the Buckeyes pulled the starters in blowouts.
Following the conclusion of the Iowa game, Ja’Kobi Jackson has the second-most carries on the team with 45 totes, 19 less than Bo Jackson but 23 more than Isaiah West. Along with sharing the load with the starter from last season, the elder Jackson is averaging a team-high 6.2 yards per carry and has found the end zone six times on the ground. Entering the season, very few people probably expected Ja’Kobi Jackson to get the first carries when Ohio State went to Iowa.
In a way, it feels like Ja’Kobi Jackson is taking on the C.J. Donaldson role from last year but doing it even better. With his experience and his production so far, expect Ja’Kobi Jackson to continue splitting carries with Bo Jackson.
Matt’s answer: Tarvos Alford
Coming into this season, I knew Tarvos Alford was talented. You don’t sign with Ohio State as a top-100-ish national prospect without being talented, and the sophomore had certainly shown enough in limited action last year to make you curious about what might eventually be there. I just didn’t think we were going to find out this quickly.
With veterans Christian Alliegro and Payton Pierce seemingly positioned to handle the majority of the linebacker work, and Riley Pettijohn carrying considerably more offseason hype after flashing as a freshman, I assumed Alford would spend most of 2026 somewhere toward the back of the rotation. Maybe he would get some snaps against Ball State and Kent State, continue developing behind the scenes, get some snaps late in games, and position himself for a much larger role in 2027.
Instead, five games into the season, I think you can make a pretty convincing argument that Alford has been Ohio State’s most pleasant surprise.
The traditional numbers aren’t necessarily going to overwhelm anyone. Alford has 12 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, and two pass breakups through five games. But those numbers become considerably more impressive when you remember that he has played only 142 defensive snaps — fewer than Pierce, Alliegro, and Pettijohn.
And the advanced numbers paint an even better picture. Through Ohio State’s first four games, Pro Football Focus gave Alford a 91.4 overall defensive grade and a 91.4 coverage grade, making him the highest-graded Big Ten linebacker in both categories. He earned a 91.8 overall grade against Ball State, including a 91.0 in coverage, then posted an 86.2 against Illinois. In both games, he finished as one of PFF’s three highest-graded Buckeyes regardless of position.
While Alford is fourth amongst the team’s linebackers in terms of snaps (Pierce: 196, Alliegro: 188, Pettijohn: 172, Alford: 142), he is not only the highest rated, but significantly so, than the two more veteran guys in the room. Pro Football Focus puts T.J. at 89.6 with Riley at 85.4, but Christian is at 69.6 and Payton is at 66.9. Now, I realize that is in no small part due to the levels of competition that they are getting the majority of their snaps against, but it is still impressive — and encouraging — nonetheless.
We knew Alford was athletic and could run. His high school scouting profile was built around his ability to diagnose plays, close quickly, and finish violently. But there is a massive difference between possessing the physical tools to play linebacker at Ohio State and looking this comfortable doing all of the things linebackers are asked to do these days, especially in coverage.
Linebackers who can chase running backs sideline to sideline are useful. Linebackers who can do that without becoming liabilities when offenses spread them out are becoming increasingly valuable, and Alford has looked remarkably natural in space. The interception against Ball State was the obvious example, but he’s been remarkably consistent every time he’s been out there.
And perhaps the most encouraging thing is that he hasn’t needed enormous playing time to make himself noticeable. Even against Iowa, when his workload fell to a season-low 22 defensive snaps, Alford still managed to knife into the backfield for a tackle for loss.
I still think Pettijohn might ultimately become the most dynamic linebacker on this roster. His combination of explosiveness and playmaking ability is difficult to ignore, and I honestly think that he is pushing Alliegro as OSU’s best LB already. But Pettijohn being really good at football was already pretty high up on my list of 2026 expectations. Alford being this impressive, this quickly, was not.
On a defense replacing an enormous amount of NFL talent, discovering that a guy I expected to be a second-team guy fighting for snaps might actually be one of your best linebackers is exactly the kind of surprise that Matt Patricia needs more of.
