Jim Knowles praises Lathan Ransom for what he brings to Ohio State on defense

As Jim Knowles tries to coach the Ohio State defense into shape before their primetime showdown with Notre Dame to open the 2022 season, he’s been impressed by junior safety Lathan Ransom.

Playing on the backend of the Buckeyes reworked defense in fall camp — Ohio State did not live up to standards in 2021 — Ransom’s impressed with his instincts and decisiveness.

“He’s decisive. He, you know, he makes — I call it pulling your trigger,” Knowles said. “He just goes. He has — he’s a football player. He sees the forest through the trees. He can diagnose the play extremely fast. And then he’s aggressive with how he treats it. So you can’t ask for more from a safety than that. He’s had an exceptional camp.”

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Knowles comes to Ohio State after coaching Oklahoma State’s defense, where he had the Cowboys playing exceptional defense — they led the nation in sacks in 2021. He’s been brought to Columbus to retool the defense and, based on the goals set by head coach Ryan Day, it’s expected to be one of the best in the nation.

The Buckeyes also have plenty of talent to engineer a defensive turnaround with, too. From Zach Harrison and Jack Sawyer up front to Denzel Burke and Oklahoma State transfer Tanner McCalister on the back end. But so far in Columbus, Ransom has stood out to Knowles perhaps more than anyone else.

“In fact I think I just put him up today, might be the only two-time camp silver bullet defender of the day winner,” Knowles said. “He just stands out on the field and how he operates. He plays at a fast tempo and he’s usually never wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, but he’s usually never wrong. In any case, he’s aggressive.”