Ohio State defensive lineman accepts Senior Bowl Invitation

Ohio State defensive end Tyreke Smith is heading to the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Buckeyes senior star will have a shot to show off for NFL scouts while surrounded by the best in his class.

Smith opted to return to Columbus for one more season after the NCAA granted all seniors an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. That decision has paid off in a major way for the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native.

This season was Tyreke Smith’s best year yet. At the end of the regular season, he had a career-best 25 tackles (12 solo) and three sacks. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive end was a key part of Ohio State’s top 25 scoring defense.

Tyreke Smith is the second Buckeyes player to accept a Reese’s Senior Bowl invitation. Tight end Jeremy Ruckert accepted his invite at the end of November. Ruckert had 284 yards on 23 receptions this season.

Please welcome DE Tyreke Smith @T_23_baller from @OhioStateFB to the 2022 @Reeses Senior Bowl!!! #Buckeyes #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ @JimNagy_SB @PaniniAmerica #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/HuBL6fyYJ3

— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) December 9, 2021

Why Quinn Ewers left Ohio State

Just one year after reclassifying from the 2022 class to the 2021 class, Quinn Ewers entered the transfer portal, ending his Ohio State career after one short season.

Ewers, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound freshman, logged just a few snaps this season. He was a five-star recruit, the No. 1 recruit in the 2021 consensus rankings and No. 2 in the 2021 On3 rankings, trailing only Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams.

Following a preseason quarterback competition, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day named redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud the starting quarterback in August, moving Ewers to the bench. Day recently addressed Ewers’ decision to enter the portal, stating that it was “a very unique situation.”

“We wish him nothing but the best of luck moving forward. But boy, there’s just a lot that’s going on right now in college football with a lot of this stuff, whether it’s early enrollees or the transfer portal and those types of things,” Day said of Ewers. “We’re just going to do the best we can to try and adapt as time moves on, but we certainly wish him nothing but the best of luck.”

Ewers is set to visit Texas this weekend, according to On3’s Gerry Hamilton, and he’s set to announce his decision soon after.

“You try to do the best you can on the front end of explaining exactly what is going to happen and then do the best you can of communicating and following through with it,” Day said when asked how to address a player frustrated with playing time. “Things change. And you have to adapt.”

Per On3’s Gerry Hamilton, Ewers recently eliminated TCU from his list, and sources believe he could decide his next destination by Monday. 

On3’s Simon Gibbs contributed to this report.