Ohio State Buckeyes star reportedly a ‘shoo-in’ to leave in 2024
Every year, there are at least a few Ohio State Buckeyes who take their talent to the NFL Draft. That will be no different with this season’s group of prospects, headlined by Marvin Harrison Jr. Still, the son of the former Hall of Fame wide receiver isn’t the only bonafide future pro currently on the Buckeyes roster.
Another player who turns the heads of pro scouts is edge prospect J.T. Tuimoloau. The 6-foot-4, 277-pound defensive lineman is a former five-star recruit who had enough athleticism to draw a scholarship offer from Oregon to play college basketball too. Yet, Tuimoloau opted to continue polishing his skills at Ohio State, where he managed to see the field from the very beginning, playing in all 13 of the Buckeyes’ games as a freshman.
Tuimoloau’s seemingly been dominant ever since, especially against Penn State. Last year, in his sophomore season, he became the first player in the 21st century to record two interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, which happened against the Nittany Lions. Recently, he went toe-to-toe with Olumuyiwa Fashanu, a projected first-round offensive tackle at Penn State, yet Tuimoloau still recorded a sack and a tackle for loss.
Now up to four sacks and five tackles for loss in his junior year, Tuimoloau’s reportedly a “shoo-in” to enter his name in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to college football insider Tony Pauline. For now, he’s projected to be a late first-round pick, but Ohio State still has three games left in their season. If Tuimoloau finishes the season strong and tests well in the NFL Scouting Combine, his draft stock might be able to continue trending up.
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Kyle McCord threw for a career-high 335 passing yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers in the 38-3 win over Michigan State last week, and the Ohio State quarterback says the Buckeyes offense is finally “clicking” as it heads into the most crucial stretch of the season.
“You can definitely feel when things are clicking out there on the field,” McCord said Wednesday. “The whole offense can feel it. I would not be able to do that without the 10 guys around me. There were times earlier in the year when there were opportunities for big throws, and we didn’t quite connect for whatever reason… You put a lot of work in to get to that point, and when you see it come to life, it’s pretty sweet.”
McCord tossed a season-high four big-time throws against the Spartans, including the impressive touchdown to Cade Stover. He broke down that play, his growing confidence and his determination to help Marvin Harrison Jr. have the best season possible during his press conference..
“It was not exactly how we drew it up. They ran pretty good defense for the play we had called. I went through my first few reads, and they weren’t open. I tried to scramble up, and Cade made a good play. It was like backyard football. I just flipped to him, and he made a good play. It’s not something you draw up or practice; we were out there playing backyard football. It was a reaction play.”
“Anytime you can hit big throws, it is just a big momentum boost, not only for myself but for the offense. We did a really good job on third down and keeping those drives alive. One of the key factors to our success was keeping those drives alive and ultimately going down and scoring points. When you make those throws, it’s just a big momentum boost. That’s the biggest thing. You put a lot of work in to get to that point, and when you see it come to life, it’s pretty sweet.”
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