40 best Ohio State football players this century, ranked

Running back Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks 42 to 20 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on January 12, 2015 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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Vernon Gholston #50 of Ohio State (Photo by G. N. Lowrance/Getty Images) /

Best Ohio State football players this century 24. Vernon Gholston – Defensive End 2005-07

Ah, Vernon Gholston. He’s now more well known for being one of the biggest busts in recent NFL history, but the reason he was such a bust is because of how good he was in college. During his time at Ohio State, he dominated on the defensive line.

Ohio State recruited Gholston as a linebacker, but he moved to defensive end almost immediately. He was going to be a player in his freshman season, but he broke his hand early on and ended up being a redshirt. Upon his return, he played a rotational role with Mike Kudla.

It was his junior year in 2006 when Gholston finally showed what he could do. He finished the season with 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. He even added an interception from the defensive line for good measure. In the National Championship Game against the Florida Gators, he had a sack on Tim Tebow, a tackle behind the line of scrimmage, and he even deflected a pass from the line.

He came back for his senior year and had an even better season. Gholston recorded 14 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. He was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. He finished his career fifth in school history with most career sacks, finishing with 22.5. No other pass rusher has more on this list.

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