Arvell Reese Goes From Perennial Winner At Ohio State To Legendary NFL Team

Arvell Reese heard his name called Thursday night during the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) leaves the field following the NCAA football game against the Ohio Bobcats at Ohio Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 37-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese will again start from the bottom, but this time, it's at the highest level of football after a stellar college career.

Reese was a fifth-overall selection Thursday night during the 2026 NFL Draft to the New York Giants, an old-school NFL franchise that hasn't sniffed a Super Bowl berth since the 2011-2012 season and hasn't made the playoffs since 2022. The Giants last won the Super Bowl, capping the 2011-2012 season with a victory over the New England Patriots, their second Super Bowl in a four-year span.

But none of the Giants' past history is Reese's problem. The standout linebacker and 2024 national champion can now showcase his talents in the NFL. Reese has already shown freak-athlete signs, as evident by his film room tape study, alongside his ability to cognitively understand what it means to be a great teammate.

Reese recognizes what he needs to do to take his game to an upper-echelon style of play.

"I think an NFL team is going to get somebody who loves the game, who loves football. Then, they’re going to get somebody who plays the game violently," Reese told Fox News. "I play defense, so to play defense at a high level, you have to be playing it violently at all times."

Reese said it doesn't bother him whether some defensive assignments, coverages or schemes are new to him. He said he is willing to adapt, learn and get better with each rep.

"So, I think an NFL team is getting that out of me — someone who plays with relentless effort, someone who looks forward to playing violently," Reese added. "You have to look forward to playing it violently."

Reese becomes the first Buckeye player selected Thursday night and the second from the Big Ten. New Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 overall, as he took down Reese's Buckeyes in the Big Ten title game last December in Indianapolis, Ind.

Reese is one of a few Buckeyes to get selected in the first round, as the Buckeyes wound up finishing last season 12-2 while falling a few games short of a national title bid for the second consecutive season.

Reese joins soon-to-be second-year quarterback Cam Ward as the Titans continue to get more youthful going into the new season. The Titans finished

For now, Reese can soak in the moment of achieving a lifelong football dream: becoming part of the next generation of NFL talent.