Get To Know These Buckeyes Defenders Before They Become Standouts at Ohio State

Once again, head coach Ryan Day has reloaded with elite talent on the defensive side of the ball.

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Earl Little Jr. (1) lines up during Student Appreciation Day spring practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on April 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Ohio State Buckeyes are once again ranked among the top favorites to win it all for the 2026 college football season, even after enduring another year of watching elite talent jump to the NFL.

However, head coach Ryan Day has managed to reload without skipping a beat, year after year, during his seven years at the helm of the program. This season is no exception.

After a dominating campaign on the defensive side of the ball, a new wave of Buckeyes is ready to leave their mark in Columbus. Here are five players on Ohio State’s D you need to get to know before they become standouts. 

Cincere Johnson, linebacker

People are already talking about the true freshman as “Baby Arvell”, not only due to a strikingly similar athletic build and the fact they come from the same high school -- Glenville High -- but also their deep personal relationship, as Johnson has stated Arvell Reese is his best friend and mentor.

Ohio State will likely be looking at Payton Pierce and Riley Pettijohn as starters, with incoming transfer Christian Alliegro as a rotating piece in the linebacker corps, but expect Johnson to find his way onto the field, especially after the remarkable job defensive coordinator Matt Patricia did finding a hybrid role for Reese to shine in, as Johnson could become the same kind of player.  

Earl Little Jr., safety

After last year’s nickel position was mostly manned by cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr., expect this year for it to land in the hands of incoming transfer Little, a playmaking safety.

Safety is actually one of the top positions, on paper, on the Buckeyes roster, with Jaylen McClain and fellow transfer Terry Moore projected as the two starters deep, and Little playing closer to the line of scrimmage, in the slot. However, all three players are highly flexible, meaning Little will have a chance to make some ball-hawking plays out in the open field, too. 

Payton Pierce, linebacker

Take it from Sonny Styles: Pierce will be very good.

“He’s a guy that’s very smart, very physical,” described Styles when asked about the next great linebacker at Ohio State during the NFL Scouting Combine, back in February. ”He showed his physicality from the jump, as soon as he got here as a freshman. He’s very comfortable in terms of, like in the box, whether it be counter, anything like that, ‘cause he was so used to it coming out of Texas. Like a lot of guys come into college and they’ve never seen counter-OY or counter-OT, things like that. He was used to that. He showed up early and I think he’s gotten more comfortable and he’s gonna take a huge step this year.”

Pierce will take on a lead role on defense this year after starting three of 14 games played last year as a sophomore, when he tallied 43 stops with 1.5 tackles for a loss, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, playing behind Styles and Reese.  

James Smith, defensive tackle

Another transfer on our list, Smith is projected to take the nose as part of an interior D-Line rotation that will also feature Eddrick Houston and Will Smith Jr.

His experience after playing three years at Alabama will come in handy, after the Buckeyes lost Ty Hamilton and Kayden McDonald in successive years. 

Smith, whose listed weight is now up to 315 pounds, told Buckeye Huddle back in March that he was heading to the nose position, where he intends to model his game after McDonald. 

“I’m playing nose here too,” he said. “Yeah, we’re moving towards that. I’m learning the 3-technique, but I’m trying to go play nose too.”

Jay Timmons, cornerback

Another true freshman, Timmons -- like Johnson -- will have to work hard to earn some reps during the 2026 season, but the talent is there. 

The Buckeyes are projected to start with Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr., with Little holding the slot as we discussed earlier. But luckily for Timmons -- a five-star prospect who happens to be the son of former Pro Bowl linebacker, Lawrence Timmons -- this is one spot where constant rotation is essential throughout the season. 

Expect to see the lightning fast Timmons get some plays on the inside, even as a true freshman, because he’ll be too good to just leave on the sidelines.