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Buckeyes star linebacker Tommy Eichenberg recognized as Bednarik Award semifinalist

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom11/02/22

andybackstrom

Tommy Eichenberg by Matt Parker -- Lettermen Row
Tommy Eichenberg has already set a career high with 72 total tackles so far this season. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg is third in the Big Ten in total tackles (72) this season — already a career high.

Tuesday the fourth-year defender was named one of 20 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given annually to college football’s most outstanding defensive player.

The last Buckeyes star to win the award was defensive end Chase Young in 2019. That season, Young was a game-wrecker, registering 21 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks and a whopping seven forced fumbles.

Tommy Eichenberg isn’t putting up those kinds of numbers, but he has been a big part of a much-improved Ohio State defense. Under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, the Buckeyes are allowing just 16.9 points per game—5.9 fewer points per game than they conceded in 2021 — which is good for 10th in the FBS.

Through eight games, Eichenberg has registered the top Pro Football Focus defensive grade (86.9) on the team. He’s already played four more snaps than he lined up for all last season, and he’s proven to be a significant help in the pass rushing department, too. Eichenberg’s 15 pressures are third on the team, per PFF. Plus, his 2.5 sacks are fourth among all Buckeyes in 2022.

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He also nabbed a pick-six that effectively put the game out of reach against a low-scoring Iowa team two weeks ago.

Tommy Eichenberg has mounted at least 14 tackles twice this season, including this past weekend at Penn State, where he piled up 15, and 10 of those were solos.

Perhaps most notably, Eichenberg is one of the best run defending linebackers in the country. Of players at his position with 100 or more run defense snaps, Eichenberg has the sixth-highest PFF run defense grade (88.5). What’s more, his average depth of tackle is a mere 1.8 yards, which is tied for 12th among that same group of qualifying linebackers, per PFF.

Here’s the complete list of Bednarik Award semifinalists:

Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr.

Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

Arkansas LB Drew Sanders

Cincinnati LB Ivan Pace Jr.

Clemson DT Tyler Davis

Georgia S Christopher Smith

Illinois DT Jer’Zhan Newton

Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon

Iowa LB Jack Campbell

Kansas State DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah

Michigan DE Mike Morris

Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes

Ohio State LB Tommy Eichenberg

Old Dominion LB Jason Henderson

Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.

Pitt DT Calijah Kancey

Texas Tech LB Tyree Wilson 

USC DT Tuli Tuipulotu

Utah CB Clark Phillips III

Wisconsin S John Torchio

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