Four Ohio State players named to Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list
COLUMBUS — Ohio State returned most of its starters from a defense that allowed only 11.2 points per game in 2023, the second fewest in the country last season. So it was no surprise Tuesday when the Buckeyes landed a nation-best four players on the preseason watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is given annually to the top defensive player in college football.
Those four Ohio State honorees are senior cornerback Denzel Burke, senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams, sophomore safety Caleb Downs and senior defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau.
No other school has more than three Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list honorees this year. Iowa and Georgia both have three apiece.
CB Denzel Burke
Burke helped restore the Ohio State secondary’s “Best in America” tagline last season. He wants to build on that effort and establish himself as a top-10 pick for the 2025 NFL Draft this season. After a breakout junior year — during which he allowed just one touchdown and 25 receptions on 48 targets, according to Pro Football Focus — Burke is hoping to take the next step in Year Four. He earned freshman All-American honors in 2021, dealt with some injury trouble in 2022 but bounced back in a big way in 2023 by adopting what he called a “pro approach” and leading the Ohio State cornerback room.
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DT Tyleik Williams
Williams is back in the fold for 2024. As Williams said, he’s reloading the clip for his senior season after a breakout junior year. In 2023, he mounted 54 total tackles — he combined for 37 his first two years at Ohio State — not to mention his 10.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and five passes defended, plus a fumble recovery for a touchdown he recorded against Western Kentucky in Week 3. Maybe most notably, Williams upped his snap count significantly, playing 645 defensive snaps last season, according to PFF. He had notched 251 and 183 defensive snaps in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
S Caleb Downs
Last year, Downs became the first true freshman since at least 1970 to lead Alabama in single-season total tackles. He tallied 107, including 70 solos — the 14th most of any player in the country last year — to go along with his 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, four pass break-ups and one forced fumble. When he was in the transfer portal this winter, Downs picked Ohio State over his home state university, recent two-time champion Georgia. While he thrived at strong safety at Alabama, he’s expected to start at free safety at Ohio State. Luckily for the Buckeyes, Downs can pretty much play anywhere on the field. During his lone season at Alabama, he lined up 287 snaps at deep safety, 285 snaps in the box, 268 snaps in the slot, 28 snaps on the corner and 21 snaps on the defensive line, according to PFF.
DE J.T. Tuimoloau
Tuimoloau and fellow Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer feed off each other, and they’ll both be back for 2024. Tuimoloau is coming off the best year of his career. He finished 2023 with the most total tackles (38), sacks (5.0) and, per PFF, pressures generated (37) as well as defensive snaps (677) of his three years at Ohio State. Tuimoloau once again proved to be a difference maker for the Buckeyes in 2023. He made back-to-back stops that set the stage for Ohio State’s game-winning drive at Notre Dame. He also dialed up a sack and fourth down pass deflection in the fourth quarter against Penn State to help deliver another top-10 win.
