x
Ohio State defender who is now a breakout star for the Buckeyes dropped a telling quote after beating Washington
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes had 14 players drafted to the NFL from last year’s team so it was known that this year’s squad was going to have a bunch of new faces. Of course, the Buckeyes returning Caleb Downs and Jeremiah Smith was huge, but most of the roster is inexperienced compared to recent years. Ohio State’s Week 5 win over the Washington Huskies was big because a number of key starters, like QB Julian Sayin, made their first road start of their college careers. The Buckeyes defeated the Huskies 24-6 and it wasn’t just youth who made a difference in this one. 

Caden Curry looks like a breakout start for the Buckeyes’ defense  

Ohio State was able to sack Washington QB Demond Williams six times and the disruptiveness by the defensive front was huge in this one. Curry recorded three of the six sacks and it’s looking every bit of the breakout player that he could always be. In his senior season, the Ohio State defensive end is playing at the highest level of his career and is having a ton of success. 

“I feel like our defensive line this year is a bunch of no-names,” Curry said.  “We just go out there, try to ball and play as hard as we can.”

A season after having J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, the Buckeyes don’t exactly have household names rushing the passer. Players like Curry stepping up are a huge reason Ohio State is continuing its defensive success from last season. Curry’s previous season-high in sacks was last season when he recorded 2.5 as a junior, he’s already doubled that this season with five through four games. The Buckeyes needed a double-digit sack guy to ride up for them and Curry is well on his way to doing that. 

Nationally, North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson was probably the most well-known pass rusher coming into the season. Kenyatta Jackson is another one of the Buckeyes expected to make a jump in 2025. To this point, it has been Curry who has taken that leap off edge edge and it has been close. The “no-names” that Curry is referring to won’t last much longer with the season he’s put together already.  


window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll && event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-1524').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-1524').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!