'Standing Firm!' Star Edge Rusher J.T. Tuimoloau Announces Return to Ohio State
The Ohio State Buckeyes may have lost Marvin Harrison Jr., but they have also been fortunate enough to have an unprecedented amount of players returning for next season, who very well could have opted for the NFL.
On Friday, star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau became the latest - and perhaps biggest - name to join the list of returning starters, announcing his intentions to come back to Columbus for the 2024 season.
“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex, your workmanship is marvelous- how well I know it.“
"With heartfelt gratitude to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a sense of unfinished business, and an unbreakable bond with my Buckeye brothers, I am standing firm in my decision to return #GOBUCKS🌰," Tuimolau said in his announcement post.
Tuimoloau now joins an elite group of players that plans on returning to Columbus, including receiver Emeka Egbuka, defensive end Jack Sawyer, corners Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock, safety Lathan Ransom, defensive lineman Tyliek Williams, and defensive tackle Ty Hamilton.
Tuimoloau, however, might be the best of the bunch.
Last season with the Buckeyes, Tuimoloau spearheaded what was arguably the country's top defense, finishing the year with five sacks, 38 tackles and seven tackles for loss. He currently sits with 22 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in his three-year career.
Tuimoloau also might be the most surprising returner of the bunch as well, being projected as a fringe-first round NFL Draft pick, and the Buckeyes' second-highest-rated prospect behind Harrison Jr.
With Tuimoloau now in tow for 2024, all eyes in Columbus will turn to running back TreVeyon Henderson, who has yet to make a decision.