Larry Johnson discusses multiple ‘top dogs’ emerging from Ohio State’s DL this season

Larry Johnson talked about how multiple players on Ohio State’s defensive line have stepped up in the last few weeks.

Ohio State’s defensive line has played well recently as a collective unit. Johnson, who is the defensive line coach, has been pleased with different players stepping up in each game.

Larry Johnson talked about how he’d identified an “alpha dog” among his DL group before the season … each of the last three games a new “top dog” has stepped up in a big way for the Buckeyes.

How many alpha dogs haven’t been unleashed yet?

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) November 2, 2022

Johnson revealed that he spotted one “alpha dog” on the defensive line before the season, but now, he has seen multiple alpha dogs. He noted that new top dogs have stepped up and emerged in the last few games for Ohio State.

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In the last 3 games, a new alpha dog has stepped up for the Buckeyes. In the win against Penn State, defensive end JT Tuimoloau had a breakout performance. Tuimoloau had 6 total tackles, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions in that game. He also returned 1 interception for a touchdown.

Tuimoloau was a defensive force against Penn State in Week 9 and he emerged as a serious threat to opposing offenses moving forward. Defensive tackle Michael Hall Jr. has been another defensive lineman who stepped up in recent weeks. In the Michigan State win, Hall had 2.5 sacks and 3 total tackles for the Buckeyes. The defensive line will continue to be a factor for Ohio State.

Ohio State will be on the road against Northwestern on Saturday.