Inside Arvell Reese's decline at Ohio State over the last few weeks

Halfway through the 2025 season, the Buckeyes appeared to have not only the top defensive draft prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft but also arguably the best defensive player in college football.

After the start of November, however, that player rapidly regressed.

Ohio State linebacker Arvell Reese was playing at an elite level all the way through to the Buckeyes' 38-14 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions. After that dominant win and a career-best performance from Reese, the Cleveland native’s production harshly declined. Now, Reese must make the decision on whether he wants to declare for the draft or stay with the Buckeyes.

Through his first eight games as a junior, Reese accumulated some monster statistics. The linebacker accounted for 54 total tackles, 28 of which were solo tackles. On top of that, he also sacked quarterbacks 6.5 times.

In comparison, Reese outpaced veteran Buckeye and fellow linebacker Sonny Styles in every statistic in the same number of games. Styles recorded 46 total tackles, 27 solo and zero sacks.

Afterward, it was a complete flip for Reese’s stat sheet.

In his six games following the home win against the Nittany Lions, Reese had just 15 total and 6 solo tackles. The Buckeye linebacker also didn’t get to the quarterback once during this stretch, finishing his season with 6.5 sacks, the last coming against Penn State.

Many attributed Reese’s lack of production in the latter half of the season to a change-up in the Buckeyes’ defensive game plan. Of those, Ohio State’s defensive coordinator Matt Patricia also believes that opponents’ game plan against Ohio State revolved heavily around containing the junior linebacker.

“A lot of the stuff we attacked early in the season, now I think teams have kind of seen enough film on it,” Patricia said, according to a post on X from Eleven Warriors’ Chase Brown. “So, a lot of times they’ll slide to [Reese’s] spot where he is, or they’ll try to make sure they have him accounted for in different ways.”

Despite Arvell Reese’s drop in production in the second half of the season, Matt Patricia said he’s still been pleased with Reese’s attitude and performance.

“A lot of the stuff we attacked early in the season now, I think teams have kind of seen enough film on it, so a lot of…
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) December 23, 2025

Patricia added that in place of Reese’s statistical decline, many other Buckeyes received a chance to shine.

“That gives opportunities for other players on the field,” Patricia said. “I think his impact has been great. His role, his flexibility, the way that we've been able to utilize him is super special.”

After Reese’s drop-off, defensive end Caden Curry and Styles saw a slight uptick in production.

Despite not finishing strong in his third year as a Buckeye, Reese is still considered to be a top draft pick. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. ranks Reese as the No. 4 overall prospect in the draft and the No. 1 overall defensive player.

Kiper describes the Ohio State linebacker as a “complete football player,” saying that he already plays the game like a veteran and has the skillset to play not only as a linebacker but also as an elite pass rusher.

Reese now must decide if he wants to declare for the draft or return to Ohio State for another year as a Buckeye. If the linebacker declared and was taken with a top 10 pick, he could receive between $30 million to $50 million from a four-year rookie contract.

If he stayed with the Buckeyes, he would continue to hone his craft as a versatile defender under linebackers coach James Laurinaitis and compete once again for a national championship. This would all be considered a huge gamble, though, as one career-ending injury could snub Reese out of life-changing money.