A dominant showing from defensive end Caden Curry in Ohio State’s 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship on Dec. 6 cemented an idea that had been brewing for some time.
Curry is in the midst of the most impactful single-season for an Ohio State defensive end since former Buckeyes defensive end Chase Young in 2019.
Though I want to note, I don’t think Curry’s 2025 season was better than Young’s in 2019, whose 46 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks and six forced fumbles earned him the Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award, unanimous All-American honors and a fourth-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting. Rather, I believe Curry has been the best of the rest through this point in the season.
Despite Ohio State boasting a talented group of defensive ends following Young, who was selected No. 2 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, none, to me, compare to what Curry has done this season.
The senior defensive end is tied third on Ohio State with 60 total tackles and leads the team with 16.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. Curry has also added six quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and blocked a punt.
Curry most recently turned in a seven-tackle, two-sack, three-tackles-for-loss performance in the conference championship game — the type of showing he’ll need to sustain to solidify the case that he’s authored Ohio State’s best complete season by a defensive end since Young in 2019.
Those with any sort of argument against Curry include former Ohio State defensive ends Jonathan Cooper (2020), Tyreke Smith (2021), and Zach Harrison (2022), as well as Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau in 2024.
Statistically, some can be ruled out quickly. Smith finished 2021 with 26 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble. Harrison posted 34 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 2022. Cooper’s 2020 season was shortened by COVID and ended with 24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. None of those seasons is close to Curry’s current level of production.
That leaves Sawyer and Tuimoloau, both of whom were integral pieces of Ohio State’s defensive fronts in 2023 and 2024. Given both Sawyer and Tuimoloau’s noticeable jump in their junior to senior seasons, it’s their 2024 season that will be evaluated.
Tuimoloau played in all 16 games for Ohio State’s national championship team in 2024, recording 61 total tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks. Sawyer also appeared in 16 contests, finishing with 59 total tackles and nine tackles for loss and sacks. Sawyer’s stats may not particularly jump off the page compared to Tuimoloau’s, though, his impact came from big plays at seemingly the perfect time.
Sawyer seemed to be “captain clutch” for the Buckeyes with a late interception against Michigan, and an 83-yard scoop-and-score with under two minutes remaining against Texas to put Ohio State up 14 late in the playoff semifinals, one of three forced fumbles and fumble recoveries for the senior on the year. Tuimoloau, on the other hand, had two forced fumbles on the season, but compares more favorably to Curry from a statistical standpoint.
One argument against Curry is that he has benefited from a stronger overall defense in 2025, particularly in the secondary with safety Caleb Downs as well as cornerbacks Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Davison Igbinosun, which has forced quarterbacks to hold the ball longer and created more pass-rush opportunities. This was particularly on display against Washington Sept. 27 when Curry was routinely able to get into the backfield with 11 total tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks.
With coverage holding up on the back end and consistent pressure across the defensive line, Curry has often been afforded favorable conditions to make plays.
There’s validity to that point. Ohio State’s defense is more well-rounded than in recent seasons, ranking first nationally in scoring defense at 8.2 points per game and in total defense at 213.5 yards allowed per game.
The counter to that, however, is Curry’s consistency on a play-by-play basis.
If the defense is so good, then wouldn’t Curry’s output dip? Well, that’s simply not the case, as Curry has recorded at least two tackles in all but one game, and a tackle for loss in all but four, reflecting a level of week-to-week production that extends beyond situational pass rushing. That consistency separates him from many of his predecessors in the last five seasons.
It’s also important to clarify what this stance is — and what it isn’t.
This is not an argument that Curry is a better player than Tuimoloau. If there is a stronger competitor than Curry in the post-Young era, it’s Tuimoloau.
His combination of versatility and explosiveness, as well as his productivity, particularly during the 2024 postseason, was as dominant as any defensive end Ohio State has had in recent years.
Rather, the argument is that Curry has had the better season thus far.
Tuimoloau’s postseason surge in 2024 was exceptional. In just four playoff games, he recorded 10 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, elevating his play when the stakes were highest.
Through Tuimoloau’s first 13 games of the 2024 season, or Curry and Ohio State’s total games played this season, he recorded 46 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Curry’s case, meanwhile, has been built across the entire season. His production hasn’t relied on a late spike or short burst.
That consistency is what places Curry’s 2025 season above the rest since 2019.
The remaining question is whether Curry can build on what he’s already done and raise his level of play in the postseason.
His season is not yet complete, and the College Football Playoffs offer a chance to further strengthen his case, much like Tuimoloau did during his postseason run in 2024.
Young is still the bar Curry and the other Buckeye defensive ends have yet to reach, but what Curry has already accomplished has positioned him as Ohio State’s most impactful defensive end of the last five seasons, and with the playoffs ahead, his defining moments may still be to come.
