Bold Predictions: Ohio State will be decidedly better intercepting the ball this season
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As preseason camp begins this week, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
Ohio State’s defense had an incredible year in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s first season on the coach staff. The Buckeyes held each of their first five opponents to less than 10 points, and didn’t allow more than 16 points in a game until the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami on New Year’s Eve.
Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, and Caleb Downs were all selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, while Kayden McDonald and Davison Igbinosun were drafted the next night in the second round.
Even though the Buckeye defense was dominant they only recorded eight interceptions in 14 games.
Jermaine Mathews Jr., Igbinosun, and Caleb Downs tied for the team lead with two picks each during the season. Over the last few years, Ohio State has struggled to force their opponents into turnovers when throwing the football, totaling just 25 interceptions over the past three seasons.
One big reason for the low interception total last year was because they played a bunch of teams who struggled to throw the football.
Arch Manning had a hard time finding his footing for Texas in the season opener. Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue, and UCLA didn’t exactly strike fear in opponents when it comes to their passing attack. Then there was Michigan who looked lost on offense with Bryce Underwood at quarterback.
If Ohio State could only muster eight interceptions last year and are losing a starting safety and cornerback from last year’s team then they should struggle to pick off passes this season, right? Not so fast, my friend.
With playing time up for grabs at a couple positions, paired with a number of talented transfers added to the mix in the secondary during the offseason should result in the Buckeyes having their highest interception total since 2019 when they pulled in 15 picks.
The most intriguing new addition is Earl Little Jr., who had four interceptions last season for Florida State. The highlight of Little’s season with the Seminoles came during ACC when he intercepted a pass in three straight games, becoming the first Florida State player since 2016 to achieve that feat.
Joining Little in the secondary from the ACC is former Duke safety Terry Moore, who has three career interceptions and was one of the best safeties in the conference before suffering a knee injury at the end of the 2024 season that caused him to miss all of 2025.
Along with Little and Moore, the Buckeyes also have brought in cornerbacks Cam Calhoun from Alabama and Dominick Kelly from Georgia. There is no doubt Calhoun and Kelly are extremely talented, they just weren’t able to crack the lineups of the Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs.
The two transfer corners will definitely have something to prove now that they are Buckeyes. Even though they might take some big risks on the field to make a name for themselves with their new team, big risks could lead to big rewards.
Since Jermaine Mathews Jr. is the most senior returning cornerback for Ohio State, it could be very likely opposing quarterbacks look to the opposite side of the field, thinking they can exploit Devin Sanchez, who isn’t nearly as experienced.
While throwing at Sanchez might have been a sound strategy for opponents last year when Sanchez was a freshman, with a year of college football under his belt it is expected Sanchez will make a jump this year since he’ll be more comfortable on the field.
What could also work in the favor of the Buckeyes when it comes to creating interceptions is they will be playing more pass-happy teams in 2026. The first road game of the season for the Buckeyes will see them travel to Austin to take on Arch Manning and Texas.
When Ohio State steps into conference play they’ll take on Indiana, USC, Oregon, and Nebraska, who are all teams who have quarterbacks who are comfortable throwing the football. Then to close out the season they’ll host Underwood and Michigan.
With how little development was seen last year from Underwood, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Buckeyes pick off at least two passes in Columbus in late November.
The last couple years Ohio State didn’t have to create a ton of turnovers since they had Caleb Downs at safety, acting like an extension of Patricia on the field. This year won’t be quite the same because of the number of new starters we’ll see.
Along with what the cornerbacks and safeties will do, it will be interesting to see if the linebackers will be able to help boost the interception totals. Linebackers coach James Laurinaitis had nine interceptions during his career, so he’ll be sharing some of his knowledge about getting hands on throws with his players.
With a bunch of new pieces on defense and a schedule that is their toughest in quite some time, it’s likely Ohio State is going to have to find a way to create more turnovers this season and shorten the field for their offense at times.
Secondary and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, as well as safeties coach Matt Guerrieri should have the Buckeyes corners and safeties ready to make some noise with an increased interception output in 2026.
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