The NFL Draft sent seven of Matt Patricia’s defenders out of Columbus in the span of three days. Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs, Kayden McDonald, Davison Igbinosun, Lorenzo Styles Jr., and Caden Curry are gone. The holes they leave are real, and the questions surrounding Ohio State’s defense heading into 2026 are fair.
Patricia’s answer, as it was a year ago, is to look at who he has and build around them. This spring, he made that process visible through the Silver Bullet of the Day series, his own internal recognition system for identifying which defenders stood out in each practice. Across spring camp, a set of names caught the eye of coaches and earned the designation. Four of them are worth knowing before fall camp opens.
Payton Pierce, Linebacker
Pierce has been one of the quieter developments of the Patricia era. The junior from Lucas, Texas arrived at Ohio State with length and instincts but limited starting experience. Under James Laurinaitis, he developed behind Styles and Reese rather than next to them, getting his reps in a rotation that gave him the conceptual foundation without the full workload.
That changes in 2026. With both starters gone, Pierce is the most experienced returning linebacker on the roster. Laurinaitis has spoken consistently about Pierce’s feel in the box and his instincts against blocking schemes. Pierce earning Silver Bullet recognition this spring signals that Patricia sees him as more than a placeholder. He’s done the learning. Now comes the proving.
Jay Timmons, Cornerback
Timmons is a freshman from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, and the fact that he earned Silver Bullet recognition in spring practice as a true freshman says plenty on its own. Ohio State’s cornerback room took a real hit with Igbinosun’s departure, and the depth chart behind Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. is open.
Timmons brings size, length, and the coverage instincts that jump off the film even in practice gear. Patricia’s schemes reward corners who can carry routes and drive on underneath passes. Timmons has shown early signs of that processing ability. He won’t be asked to carry the room in September, but there’s a real chance he’s contributing before the Big Ten schedule arrives.
Zion Grady and Epi Sitanilei, Defensive Ends
The defensive end position is where Ohio State faces its sharpest depth question heading into fall. Curry’s departure leaves a production void no single player will fill. Grady and Sitanilei, both sophomores, represent the clearest path to replacing that production from within.
Grady, from Enterprise, Alabama, has the athleticism and motor Patricia values at the edge. At 6’4” and 258 pounds, he’s still adding to his frame, but the pass rush instincts are already evident. Sitanilei, from Ontario, California, offers a different profile: longer, with a wider base and the ability to hold up against the run while remaining a factor in the pass rush.
Neither is Curry. Neither needs to be. If Patricia can develop both into rotating contributors the way he developed his edge depth in 2025, the position group will be in better shape than the departures alone suggest.
Earl Little Jr., Safety
With Caleb Downs now a Dallas Cowboy, the safety room belongs to someone new. Earl Little Jr., a senior from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, earned the first Silver Bullet of the Day honor of spring camp and has competed with that energy throughout.
Little brings veteran experience the Buckeyes need in the back end. Patricia’s safeties carry real processing demands: reading routes, rotating coverages post-snap, keeping pre-snap communication clean across the whole defense. Little’s background suggests he can handle that load. Whether he can replicate the impact Downs had is a question the fall will answer. His spring gave Patricia reason for confidence heading into the offseason.
The Standard Doesn’t Wait
Matt Patricia rebuilt Ohio State’s defense once already. The 2026 group is younger and less proven, but the system is installed, the culture is set, and the players earning recognition this spring are the ones who will carry it forward.
Keep these names close. By October, Buckeye Nation will know them well.
