Texas DT Hero Kanu Already Is Already Locked On Ohio State

Senior defensive tackle Hero Kanu provides some insider knowledge on Texas' week 2 opponent.

Texas defensive tackle Hero Kanu celebrates after making a tackle during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Dallas. Texas won 23-6. | AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter

Hero Kanu did not need much time to turn the page from Texas State. After Texas' 59-7 season-opening win Saturday the veteran defensive tackle was already heading toward the film room to begin preparing for his former team.

“I was on the way up to the film room to watch some Ohio State stuff,” Kanu said. The Longhorns now have No. 1 Ohio State coming to Austin, giving Kanu a reunion with a program where he spent three seasons and helped win a national championship.

Kanu made his presence felt against Texas State, helping Texas control the line of scrimmage in its dominant defensive performance. The Longhorns forced three turnovers and held the Bobcats to seven points, giving Kanu and the defense momentum heading into the biggest game of the season's opening week.

Hero Kanu Knows What Is Waiting on the Other Side

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) tries to read the Ohio State Buckeyes defense in the second quarter of their game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Aug 30, 2025. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kanu's familiarity with Ohio State makes this matchup different. He still has plenty of friends in Columbus, but he made it clear those relationships are taking a back seat this week.

“Still got a lot of friends out there, but we don’t talk this week,” Kanu said. “We can chat after this week.”

The former Buckeye understands what Texas is facing. Ohio State also opened its season with a blowout, beating Ball State 56-3, and now the No. 1 team in the country is heading into Austin for a matchup between two of the nation's top-five teams.

The matchup carries even more history for Kanu. He made his Texas debut against Ohio State in last season's opener in Columbus, recording two tackles as the Longhorns fell to the Buckeyes.

Texas will need Kanu to be more than a source of information this time around. The 6-foot-5, 309-pound defensive lineman enters the season as a preseason second-team All-SEC selection and fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele, raising expectations for his impact in the middle of the Longhorns' defense.

Texas' defense looked the part against Texas State, but Ohio State represents an entirely different challenge. They'll come into DKR with the top wide receiver in the country, Jeremiah Smith, and a highly scouted quarterback in this year's NFL Draft, Julian Sayin.

The stakes are also considerably higher than they were one week ago. Two of Texas' last four losses have come against Ohio State, including last season's regular-season meeting and the 2024 College Football Playoff semifinal.

For Kanu, that makes this week about more than simply facing a ranked opponent. He knows the people on the other sideline, knows the program, and knows what it takes to win there.

He still considers many of those players friends.

Just not this week.

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