Ohio State football: 3 breakout stars for the Buckeyes in 2022

J.T. Tuimoloau could thrive playing in Jim Knowles’ defense as a true sophomore

No, Jack Sawyer is not the only top-five player in the 2021 recruiting cycle on the Buckeyes roster. In fact, they had three at one point a year ago. But after handing the ball off twice, Quinn Ewers decided to go back home to his native Texas and play for the Longhorns. Well, look at who stayed. Expect J.T. Tuimoloau to have a massive impact on the Buckeyes defense playing for Jim Knowles.

Tuimoloau hails from Washington state. He might get a bit more playing time than Sawyer this season, but the five-star duo will be a big reason why the Buckeyes could run roughshod over seemingly everyone in the Big Ten. Most importantly, the Ohio State defense needs to get tougher faster if the Buckeyes want to met all of their goals for this season. Talent helps in a brief rebuild.

See, Knowles will try to implement what worked out well for the Oklahoma State defense a year ago. The Pokes were one yard shy of winning the Big 12 and making it into the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history. Ultimately, Knowles inherits more blue-chip talent than anything Mike Gundy could ever hope to provide in recruitment at Stillwater. Tuimoloau is a beast.

The combination of Sawyer and Tuimoloau playing off each other will do wonders for this defense.