The good news for Ohio State's 2024 football roster kept rolling on Friday, when star defensive end JT Tuimoloau announced he is returning for his senior season. Tuimoloau joins draft-eligible Ohio State defenders such as defensive end Jack Sawyer, cornerback Denzel Burke and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams in spurning the pros for another season with the Buckeyes.
The former five-star prospect cited "a sense of unfinished business, and an unbreakable bond with my Buckeye brothers" in a social media post announcing his decision. Ohio State finished 11-2 for a third-straight season and suffered a third-straight loss to arch rival Michigan. Tuimoloau and most of the others who will comprise the program's 2024 roster have yet to experience a victory over the Wolverines, a Big Ten title or a College Football Playoff victory.
Even in an era when name, image and likeness earnings potential can make staying in college an attractive proposition, Tuimoloau's decision comes as somewhat of a surprise. He ranked as the No. 4 EDGE and No. 23 overall player in the 2023 CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings.
He also landed in the first round of a recent mock draft CBS Sports draft analyst Josh Edwards. Despite the solid professional outlook, he will be returning to anchor a defense that continues to improve under the direction of coordinator Jim Knowles.
Bolstering Ohio State's front
Tuimoloau earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2023 after notching 38 tackles -- including seven for loss -- with five sacks. He also deflected two passes and recovered a fumble. The 6-foot-4 native of Edgewood, Washington enjoyed a strong October, notching sacks in three consecutive wins over Purdue, Penn State and Wisconsin.
One sign of his commitment to the Buckeyes came in December when he opted to remain with the team for its Cotton Bowl game against Missouri, picking up a sack in the loss. With Tuimoloau, Williams, Sawyer, Ty Hamilton and others returning, the Buckeyes should have one of the nation's fiercest defensive fronts next season after making major strides on that front in 2023.
Ohio State ranked 59th nationally in total defense in 2021. Knowles' arrival helped bolster it to 13th in 2022. In 2023, they rose all the way to third, finishing behind only Big Ten East rivals Michigan and Penn State in fewest yards allowed per game at 265.4.
Offense also gets good news
Though Ohio State is losing star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the draft, the Buckeyes have also managed to retain some high-end, draft-eligible talent on offense -- namely receiver Emeka Egbuka and highly touted offensive guard Donovan Jackson. That should help the Buckeyes maintain a high offensive floor.
Egbuka was considered the No. 20 overall prospect in the draft class by CBS Sports at one point and has the tools to be a No. 1 target. Jackson is a former five-star prospect and was a first-team All-Big Ten honoree this season on the interior of the offensive line.
Ohio State's biggest question entering the 2024 season is at quarterback following the departure of starter Kyle McCord for Syracuse. The Buckeyes landed longtime former Kanas State quarterback Will Howard from the transfer portal, but it's clear the program is still coping with a drop off at the position following a wave of star signal callers including of CJ Stroud, Justin Fields, Dwayne Haskins and J.T. Barrett.
Nevertheless, the rest of the roster appears to be rounding nicely into form, as evidenced by the strong crop of returning talent and additions such as star Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins.
