Late in the first half of Ohio State’s opening win against Akron, Arvell Reese lined up as the mike linebacker with the job of spying the quarterback and following him wherever he went.
When the quarterback left the pocket early due to pressure from defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, Reese sprinted from the middle of the field to the right sideline to force an incomplete pass.
On the next play, Akron came out with trips to the left side and Reese read a bubble screen perfectly, coming from inside the left hash mark to make a tackle on the sideline.
By that time in the game, Reese already looked comfortable despite playing the first major snaps of his Ohio State career. Those two plays are an example of why coaches pushed the sophomore up the depth chart this offseason and see immense potential in his game: He flies to the ball.
Reese’s physical gifts have always been there, as he’s 6 feet 4, 238 pounds, and moves like a safety. It’s the mental aspect of the game that has grown for Reese in his second season after signing as a four-star recruit from Cleveland’s Glenville High School in the Class of 2023. On both plays, he showed an improved knowledge of his responsibility and where everybody else was supposed to be.
Ohio State returned one of the best defensive lines and best defensive backfields in the country, but when Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers left for the NFL, the Buckeyes faced uncertainty at linebacker. Reese knew what he had to do to become an integral part of the rotation, which has come to fruition heading into No. 3 Ohio State’s third game against Marshall (noon ET, Saturday). He may not be a starter, but his growth shows just how much depth and talent the Buckeyes are working with defensively.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗼𝗹. 𝟯 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝟬 𝗗𝗡𝗔 🍿🔥🎥 pic.twitter.com/ktcQh3eXli
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 19, 2024
When Reese arrived, Ohio State thought he might fit best playing on the defensive line because of his frame. Reese is tall with long arms, and coaches thought he would gain weight up to around 250 pounds, which would make him a dangerous edge rusher.
But as a freshman, he admittedly didn’t take things as seriously as he could have. When he moved to edge rusher, Reese said he was just going through the motions. Though he missed five games after suffering a concussion on kickoff coverage, he also knew why he didn’t play defensive snaps when healthy.
“It was because of what I was doing,” Reese said. “I knew what the problem was.”
When Ohio State moved him back to linebacker, new position coach James Laurinaitis challenged him to get in the playbook and realize the high potential he knew he had.
He began watching film with more intentionality. He watches his plays and the mistakes he made so he doesn’t make them again. He also watches the entire practice to make sure he knows what everybody else is doing. There’s a higher sense of urgency after he recorded zero tackles as a freshman.
“I have to go out there and do it,” Reese said.
It started with a strong spring. Reese was back at home at linebacker, where everything felt more natural and he felt like his time was coming.
It became obvious in preseason camp that he needed a role. Linebackers are, by nature, supposed to be around the ball as much as possible. It’s a mindset that Reese said all linebackers need to have.
But there’s a difference between being around a play and making the play. Reese was finishing plays, running sideline to sideline, like he is now in games. It got to the point where everybody on the defense was praising Reese for how hard he was playing and preparing.
“That’s a position that takes a lot of prep work,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “You have to know how to fit the runs and be involved in the coverages and checks.”
With his added focus on film, his confidence grew along with his command of Jim Knowles’ defense.
He became more vocal, calling out loud enough for the media to hear during preseason camp. He looked the part at mike linebacker.
“That just comes from knowing the defense,” Reese said. “If you don’t know, then you are not going to speak and be confident. When you know what’s going on, you’re going to be confident because when you are confident as a mike then it instills confidence in the whole defense.”
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A confident Reese is a big part of Ohio State feeling more confident about the present and future of the linebacking corps.
Eichenberg and Chambers played a combined 1,223 snaps last season and were the only players with more than 80 tackles, creating a big hole in the middle of the defense between the other star-studded units. Although Cody Simon played 365 snaps, behind him there was a lot of inexperience with Sonny Styles changing positions from defensive back and C.J. Hicks jumping up in the rotation. Reese forced himself into that rotation too, which has had a positive impact on the entire unit, especially as Simon missed the first game with an injury.
“You see what you see in the first couple games, you see guys running to the ball, you see guys making plays and that’s exciting,” Day said. “We’ll have to play with three linebackers in the game vs. some personnel groupings.”
Ohio State’s growing linebacker rotation does more than just provide depth. Knowles is known for his ability to disguise coverages and has already hinted at playing Simon, Styles and Hicks together at times. That could also be the case for Reese, as the entire unit is versatile, even if Reese has been working specifically at mike linebacker.
From Styles’ growth and versatility at both linebacker positions to Reese coming in and rounding out the two-deep rotation, things are trending right for the linebackers, which will give Ohio State’s defense an even better chance to stake a claim as the best in the country.
(Photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)
