A running back up until this preseason, Steele Chambers is now a starting linebacker for Ohio State.
The third-year Buckeye, who has been one of Ohio State's top performers on defense over the past six games, earned the nod as the starter at Will linebacker over Teradja Mitchell on Saturday. Chambers started the second half of last week's Nebraska game after missing the first half due to a targeting penalty he was assigned against Penn State on Oct. 30.
"He’s playing as good as anybody on our defense right now," Buckeye head coach Ryan Day said Thursday.
Steele Chambers warming up with Ohio States first-team defense at Will linebacker alongside Cody Simon.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) November 13, 2021
Day said this past week that Chambers is playing "at a starter level, for sure" for the Buckeyes, and even said the Buckeyes were happy to receive the ball first against Nebraska, because it would give the team an extra possession with Chambers on the field in the second half. Despite not playing in the first half last week, Chambers finished with more tackles (six) than all but two Buckeye defenders, and closed the game out with a fourth-quarter interception in the waning moments of the contest.
Chambers is one of just three Buckeyes to have graded out as a champion in at least five games this season, and was named Ohio State's defensive player of the game against Maryland on Oct. 9.
Chambers entered Saturday's game with the fifth-most tackles on the team (29), to go along with three tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.
