Caden Curry hits ground running to make impact at Ohio State

COLUMBUS — Walking off the field at the Alamodome in early January, Caden Curry was clear on his first priority at Ohio State.

“I can’t wait to get there and get bigger,” Curry told Lettermen Row as he hit the tunnel to the locker room. “I have to get stronger.”

In his first three weeks with the Buckeyes, there’s been progress. Caden Curry, speaking to the media for the first time at Ohio State, said he’s added five or six pounds already. He’s up to just about 250 pounds on his way — he says — to a 265-pound goal for spring football.

At just about 6-foot-3, Curry isn’t a typical Ohio State defensive end. He played all over the field as a high school star at Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.), lining up at linebacker, nose tackle, defensive end and even as the Trojans long-snapper.

The young defensive lineman has quickly familiarized himself with the new Ohio State defensive coordinator. His versatility means he could be an interesting chess piece in the defense of Jim Knowles.

“I’ve seen what he did at Oklahoma State,” Curry said. “Watched their defense a bit to see what they did … I love what he did.”

Knowles defense deploys a LEO position that may be a good fit for Curry’s skill set.

“Everybody is kind of new to it,” Caden Curry said. “So they don’t know if they want to go for it or not. Once we go through spring football, the coaches will see who needs to go where. I definitely like moving around, I don’t like to stay in one spot.”

Curry is going to thrilled anywhere he lines up. That’s just his nature as a football player and he’s leaning in to that early at Ohio State. In his first month on campus, his focus has been on learning as much as he can no matter the role. Working alongside Larry Johnson has made that easier. Curry is one of the few defensive players coming into the Buckeyes program who didn’t lose his primary recruiter as Ryan Day made changes to his defensive staff.

“It’s been great having him here,” Curry said. “It’s been him since the beginning of my recruitment and he’s been there the whole time.

“I’m just kind of being like a sponge. The dude has so much experience and so much knowledge with football so I’m kind of just learning that. I’m just staying by his wing and taking in everything he has to say. He’s like having an extra dad on a football field. He cares for his players and you can see that it’s true.”

It’s also true that Caden Curry isn’t slowing down the motor that has made him a favorite of the Ohio State coaching staff for the last two years. Being an undersized defensive lineman, he’ll need to stand out with his effort. He watched as Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau and Tyleik Williams worked themselves into Johnson’s rotation last year. He is ready to do what it takes to make the same impact as a freshman.

“When I was a little kind, I always played with my brother’s age group,” Curry said. “He’s like two grades older than me and playing in that age group gave me a mindset that I have to work for everything. That I have to get out there and outwork everybody. So I’ve had that motor on the field.

“A little switch turns on in the back of my head. I just let everything get out for a second and I’m focused on football. I don’t really care, if I’ve got to hit you anywhere I am going to do it to get past you. All of us, the new recruits and newcomers, want to work hard and get on the field and find playing time.”

There was a clear-cut priority for Caden Curry when he arrived at Ohio State.

Get bigger. Gain weight. Make an impact.

Three weeks in and it’s already happening. It’s a safe bet that he won’t slow down anytime soon.