Ohio State’s Larry Johnson not going anywhere, but defensive line questions remain, too

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football coach Ryan Day delivered a message Wednesday, perhaps to a single defensive line prospect wavering in his commitment, or perhaps to all potential Buckeye targets across the country.

None of the assistant coaches spoke to the media on signing day. Therefore, Larry Johnson was not available to once again bristle at the notion that anyone would use “retirement” and his name in the same sentence. That instead fell to Day, who confidently said Johnson will return for his 11th Buckeye season in 2024.

On one hand, the constant age-related speculation is unfair. Give or take a few months, Johnson is the same age as 72-year-old Alabama coach Nick Saban. Some believe the hoarder of national championships has summoned one of his best coaching performances to lead the Crimson Tide into the playoff.

On the other hand, Johnson and OSU would be naive to think teams won’t spin Johnson’s age (and standard short-term assistant coach contracts) as a source of uncertainty. Day, almost as if he knew five-star Eddrick Houston was streaming the press conference live from Georgia, brought a full-throated support of Johnson to the signing day lectern.

Staff changes are almost certainly coming for Ohio State, though likely not until after the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29. After a third consecutive loss to Michigan and another year out of the playoff, Day faces tough decisions.

The last few high-profile edge rushers who entered the NFL draft went in the fifth round (Tyreke Smith, 2022) and third round (Zach Harrison, 2023). Two former top-five prospects on this roster — J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer — may return for a fourth season. Tremendous news for the 2024 squad no doubt, but also indicative of a lack of consistent dominance at that position.

Justin Scott, the class’ other five-star defensive line commit. had flipped to Miami weeks earlier. With no Houston, this would have been OSU’s third class in as many years with no top-50 defensive line signee. The entire class would have hinged on 3-star Eric Mensah.

Some of those classes contained promising players, such as defensive ends Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry in 2022 and tackle Kayden McDonald in 2023. Johnson, though, was only being judged against the five-star reputation he built. Day defended the defensive line recruiting and said it has met OSU’s standards in both quality and quantity.

It’s not as if that argument has no evidence. Only two years ago, Johnson’s patience and perseverance won Tuimoloau’s prolonged recruitment. While he had help to finish off the tight fight for Houston — including from defensive passing game coordinator Tim Walton — the win came in his room. (Lately, at a number of positions, last-minute decisions from players in the heart of SEC country have not favored the Buckeyes.)

So Johnson’s final word on this defensive line recruiting class may be yet to come.