Three defensive Buckeyes earn B1G 1st-team honors
COVER PHOTO: Defensive end Zach Harrison (right) comes over to celebrate linebacker Tommy Eichenberg's first quarter, five-yard tackle-for-loss on Wisconsin running back Isaac Guerendo during their game in Ohio Stadium on Sept. 24. Picture by Sam Fahmi/Columbus Wired.
On Tuesday, the Big Ten conference handed out their annual postseason awards including who made the first, second, third and honorable mention teams as selected by both the coaches and a 28-member panel of the media.
Collectively, three Ohio State players made the first-team lists with linebacker Tommy Eichenberg as the only consensus first-team coaches selection and media selection. Defensive ends Zach Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau split with one another as first and second team picks with Harrison making the coaches first team and media’s second team while the opposite was true for Tuimoloau.
Eichenberg is also a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy. The fourth-year linebacker out of Cleveland (Ohio) St. Ignatius led the team in tackles all season and currently ranks third in the Big Ten with 112 total stops. His 72 solo tackles are first in the conference and tied-for second in the country while his 12.0 tackles-for-loss rank sixth in the B1G.
Harrison leads all Ohio State defensive linemen with 30 tackles and with six quarterback pressures. The fourth-year defensive end from Olentangy (Ohio) Orange High School has 6.5 tackles-for-loss (26 yards) and three sacks, in addition to four pass break-ups and three forced fumbles, which ties him for second in the conference.
Tuimoloau, a true sophomore from Edgewood (Eastside Catholic HS) Wash., had a stellar performance racking up 28 tackles and 11 tackles-for-loss (39 yards). The TFL’s currently sit him tied-for fifth in the conference. He also notched 3.5 sacks, two interceptions (one for a 14-yard touchdown), four quarterback hurries and two pass break-ups. His one game against Penn State in Happy Valley was a thing of lore where he had six total tackles, three for-loss (17 yards) which included two sacks for 16 yards, one pass breakup and forced a fumble that he himself recovered. And to top it off, both of his interceptions came in that game.
Safety Ronnie Hickman was a consensus third-team choice while defensive tackle Mike Hall, Jr. and kicker Noah Ruggles were both third-team picks by the media and honorable mention for the coaches.
Defensive backs Denzel Burke, Lathan Ransom and Tanner McCalister as well as linebacker Steele Chambers were consensus honorable mentions while defensive end Jack Sawyer made the coaches honorable mention list and defensive tackle Tyliek Williams made the media’s honorable mention.