2026 Ohio State Projected Defensive Depth Chart
Ohio State’s defense has faced significant turnover after a wave of departures early in the 2026 offseason.
With the losses of seven starters, including unanimous All-Americans safety Caleb Downs and defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, the Buckeyes have been active in replenishing their roster since the transfer portal opened on Jan. 2.
In total, Ohio State added 23 defensive players through its 2026 recruiting and transfer classes, highlighted by five-star Alabama defensive line transfer James Smith, who ranks as the No. 9 overall transfer according to 247Sports.
With that in mind, BSB broke down Ohio State’s projected defensive depth chart for the 2026 season, position by position.
Defensive Line
RE1: Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
RE2: Zion Grady
LE1: Beau Atkinson
LE2: Qua Russaw
DT1: Eddrick Houston
DT2: James Smith
DT3: John Walker
DT4: Will Smith Jr.
Ohio State added a major piece of the puzzle back when redshirt junior defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. announced his return for his senior season. In 2025, Jackson totaled 28 tackles and ranked second on the Buckeyes with 11 TFLs.
Opposite Jackson, there will be a competition between rising sophomore Zion Grady, Beau Atkinson, or Alabama transfer Qua Russaw. Following an underwhelming 2025 season with just 11 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and one sack, the former North Carolina transfer, Atkinson, is poised for a bounce-back year in his second season with the program. Russaw, a former five-star recruit with elite potential, totaled just 13 tackles and one sack last season with the Crimson Tide.
On the inside line, returner Eddrick Houston, who split snaps with Tywone Malone Jr. this season and racked up 21 tackles as well as three sacks, will likely earn a full-time starting role in 2025. Alongside former starter Houston, the second defensive tackle spot will be contested by transfers James Smith and John Walker, as well as rising senior Will Smith Jr.
James Smith arrives from Alabama after recording 26 tackles, one pass breakup, and 2.5 sacks, while Walker comes to Ohio State from UCF following a season with 40 tackles, three TFLs, one sack, and a forced fumble.
Linebacker
LB1: Payton Pierce
LB2: Christian Alliegro
LB3: Riley Petijohn
LB4: Tarvos Alford
LB5: Cincere Johnson
LB6: Garrett Stover
With the departures of projected first-round draft picks Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, Ohio State’s linebacker group is set undergo significant changes in 2026.
The Buckeyes’ linebacker corps will be led by returning junior Payton Pierce, who served as Ohio State’s third linebacker behind Styles and Reese last season. Pierce played in all 14 games in 2025 and ranked eighth on Ohio State with 44 tackles, to go along with an interception and a fumble recovery.
Wisconsin transfer linebacker Christian Alliegro, a two-year starter with the Badgers, should step in as a starter with Pierce after earning 120 tackles, eight sacks and three passes broken up over three years with the Badgers.
Standout rising sophomore Riley Petijohn, who had nine tackles, one TFL and a 23-yard fumble recovered for a touchdown against Grambling State.
Also contributing to the unit will be rising sophomore Tarvos Alford, who played 50 snaps this season and recorded six tackles and a TFL, Cleveland Glenville four-star Cincere Johnson (6-3, 222), ranked No. 50 overall in the 2026 class and rising junior Garrett Stover, who saw action in just 22 snaps last season.
Cornerback
CB1: Jermaine Mathews Jr.
CB2: Devin Sanchez
CB3/ Nickel 1: Earl Little Jr.
CB4: Dominick Kelly
CB5: Cam Calhoun
CB6/ Nickel 2: Miles Lockhart
The cornerback unit for Ohio State is set for 2026 with the return of rising senior Jermaine Mathews Jr. as a starter, while former five-star freshman Devin Sanchez, who serves as the Buckeyes’ fourth cornerback in 2025, moves up to the starting lineup after Davison Igbinosun exhausted his eligibility.
With Lorenzo Styles Jr. also exhausting his eligibility, former Florida State safety Earl Little Jr. is BSB’s projected starter at nickelback. Little enjoyed a dominant 2025 season with the Seminoles, totaling 76 tackles, four interceptions, two pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
Ohio State also added two cornerbacks to help offset the transfer portal departures of Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West, bringing in Georgia transfer Dominick Kelly and veteran Cam Calhoun. Kelly tallied three tackles and three pass breakups in just 61 snaps with the Bulldogs in 2025, while Calhoun — who has spent a season each at Alabama, Michigan and Utah — recorded seven tackles, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery with the Crimson Tide last season.
Lockhart, a rising redshirt sophomore, returns for his third year at Ohio State after taking just three snaps for the Buckeyes in 2025.
Safety
FS1: Terry Moore
FS2: Leroy Roker III
SS1: Jaylen McClain
SS2: Blaine Bradford
Ohio State’s safety pairing took a major hit with the departure of Downs, but the Buckeyes were aggressive in the transfer portal to help fill the void.
Ohio State added Duke transfer Terry Moore to the secondary and although he missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL, Moore posted 71 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four interceptions, two forced fumbles and a sack during his junior season with the Blue Devils.
Rising junior Jaylen McClain returns for his third season in Columbus following a breakout 2025 campaign. A clear-cut starter heading into 2026, McClain started all 14 games last season and finished the year with 53 tackles and three pass breakups.
Behind McClain and Moore is rising redshirt sophomore Leroy Roker III, who earned eight tackles and a deflected pass in just 81 snaps in 2025.
Finally, Baton Rouge Catholic, La., four-star Blaine Bradford (6-1, 207) will have an opportunity to make an early impact, coming in as the No. 71 overall recruit and the seventh-ranked safety in the class of 2026.