The sun already set on college football down in New Orleans just a couple of weeks ago. The Super Bowl just gave us our last hurrah as well Sunday night. So, we’ve got a question for you: Are you missing the good ‘ole American game yet? Yeah, yeah, there’s the whole reboot of the XFL, but for all intents and purposes, the game we know and love is now on a hiatus until the fall.
But that’s okay. We’re going to fill that time with some reflections on the decade that just passed us by for Ohio State. It was one that was filled with several Big Ten Championships, a national title, and a slew of wins over That Team Up North.
But who are the best of the best from the 2010s? There’s a ton of really good players to choose from, and we’re doing our best to identify them in a series of posts dealing with the best of the decade of Ohio State football.
We already looked at our All-Decade Offensive Team, and now it’s time to identify our All-Decade Defensive Tem. What players would you choose from 2010 through 2019 to field the best of the best defensive team?
Next … The defensive line
Defensive Ends
Chase young (2017-2019)
Joey Bosa (2013-2015)
There were really three guys pretty close here. You had both the Bosa brothers and the Heisman finalist and program’s single-season sack record-holder, Chase Young. We went with the Predator for one spot, then it was a close call, but the older Bosa did more in his career at Ohio State than Nick, whose time at OSU had some injuries associated with it.
Defensive Tackles
Michael Bennett (2011-2014)
Johnathan Hankins (2010-2012)
If there’s any position group over the last decade that’s had more depth than any other, it’s on the defensive line. The ends get all the glory, but the guys in the middle were pretty good too. There weren’t as many elite top-end guys clogging things up around the edge rushers, but there were a bunch of really good ones that brought their lunch pale and got it done almost every year.
We went with the best on the interior of the line during the national title run of 2014 by selecting Michael Bennett, and took a guy from the beginning of the decade that was arguably the best D-lineman in the Big Ten in 2011 and 2012, “Big Hank,” Johnathan Hankins.
Next … The linebackers
Linebackers
Ryan Shazier (2011-2013)
Darron Lee (2013-2015)
Raekwon Mcmillin (2014-2016)
Ohio State’s linebacking corps over the last decade has gotten a lot lighter and more versatile. The days of thick, tough guys that shed blocks and flow to the play are seemingly gone. Our picks here point directly to that. Shazier was a missile that ran all over the field and led the Big Ten with a ridiculous 144 tackles in 2013.
Darron Lee didn’t come to Columbus as a linebacker, but his playmaking ability in space was an integral part of the national title run of 2014. That year he amassed 16 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and had returned two fumbles for touchdowns. Not to be forgotten, McMillan was the unquestioned leader of Ohio State’s defense during his last two seasons when he led OSU in tackles.
Next … The secondary
Cornerbacks
Denzel Ward (2015-2017)
Marshon Lattimore (2014-2016)
Jeff Okudah (2017-2019)
Okay, maybe we’re cheating here a little bit, but we think the cornerback position at Ohio State was a little more talented and deeper than the safety position. Also, since the Buckeyes have gone more to a one-high safety attack, we’re following suit and picking three corners. Find me a better lockdown unit than the trio of Ward, Lattimore, and Okudah over the last decade from any program, and I’ll argue against it all day. All three guys went (or will go, in the case of Okudah) in the first round of the NFL draft after becoming big-time players in Columbus.
Safety
Malik Hooker
Malik Hooker was a one-year wonder, but what a year it was. You won’t find a more athletic safety that can erase things on the back-end like the 6-1, 214 lb. dart of a player. He flashed on the scene so brightly that he was a consensus All-American in 2016 with seven interceptions and numerous big-play, pass-breakups. That one year was for the ages and is one of the best in Ohio State history.
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