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When Ohio State defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones suffered a leg injury in a freak accident in Ohio State’s locker room after a practice last week, Jalyn Holmes quickly volunteered to take his place in the lineup as the Buckeyes’ starting 3-technique defensive tackle.
Holmes wasn’t actually expecting Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson to act on that offer, but it turned out Johnson did.
"When I noticed that Dre’Mont was down, I just told them 'If you need me to do it, I’ll be in first thing in the morning to learn it,'" Holmes said. "I was just saying it just to make (Johnson) feel a little better, but he took me seriously and the next day, I was in there."
Despite having only a couple days to prepare for playing defensive tackle, Holmes – who typically rotates as one of four co-starters at defensive end – started at the position last Saturday against Rutgers, led all Ohio State defensive linemen with 36 snaps played and graded out as one of Ohio State’s "champions" for his performance in the Buckeyes’ 56-0 win.
Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson said he was "really pleased" with how Holmes performed in his first game at the position.
"The first time going in there, to do the adjustment he had to make playing 3-technique, I thought he did a great job," Johnson said. "He played really well for us."
With Jones still sidelined for at least this week due to the wound on his leg, Holmes is in line to start at the position again on Saturday – though Jashon Cornell will continue to see regular playing time at the position too – against Maryland.
Playing defensive tackle isn’t entirely foreign to Holmes, who often lines up inside when the Buckeyes put all of their top four defensive ends on the field in their nickel defense. Holmes typically only has to worry about rushing the passer from inside in that package, but Johnson said Holmes’ experience playing in that package made it easier to prepare for him playing an every-down role inside.
"In our Rushmen package, he plays 3-technique in a pass-rush situation, so it’s a really smooth transition for him," Johnson said. "In nickel, you get caught in run anyways, so the only thing he had to do different, he had to play double-teams. He had to play pull guards. He had to read all those keys. So we repped him real hard during the week so that he’ll catch up on those things, but he got it. He did a really great job."
With only a couple opportunities to practice at defensive tackle before his first game, Holmes said he watched a lot of film and asked a lot of questions to his teammates to prepare for playing the position. Holmes credited his coaches and teammates – particularly Tracy Sprinkle, Ohio State’s other starting defensive tackle – with making it a smooth transition for him.
Sprinkle said he made sure to communicate with Holmes on every play when they were in Saturday’s game together in order to help Holmes succeed at the unfamiliar position.
"He’s a real smart guy, so he knows the position, but sometimes it goes fast, it might not click to him real fast because he hasn’t played the 3-technique, so I got to help him out," Sprinkle said.
Sprinkle has been impressed, though, by how quickly Holmes has adjusted to playing inside.
"Jalyn’s stepping up for (Jones) real big right now," Sprinkle said. "He picked up on a lot of things from Coach Johnson. Worked a little bit extra, he picked up a lot of things real quick. So he’s looking good."
Holmes believes he has room to improve this week – "I feel like I left a lot of plays out there," Holmes said about his performance against Rutgers – but he is also pleased with how he performed in his first game at defensive tackle considering the quick turnaround to learning the position.
"At first, I was nervous because I never done it before – and I took over the job Wednesday, so I only had like maybe two days to really get myself prepared for it – but I think I did a good job," Holmes said.
“The first time going in there, to do the adjustment he had to make playing 3-technique, I thought HE DID a great job.” – Larry Johnson
Holmes says his weight fluctuates between 270 and 280 pounds, which makes him slightly undersized for a defensive tackle, but he also has an advantage of being more athletic than the traditional defensive tackle. That’s a big reason why Jones, who came to Ohio State as a defensive end himself, has been successful at the 3-technique position, and a big reason why the Buckeyes turned to Holmes instead of a backup defensive tackle to play the position in Jones’ absence.
"He has a lot of speed," Sprinkle said of Holmes. "Me and Dre’Mont might think we got speed, but when you bring a defensive end inside, you can see the difference in speed. He’s a real big fast, and he can move fast."
Holmes’ move to defensive tackle is expected to be only temporary; once Jones returns from his injury, which Ohio State anticipates he will be able to do for next week’s game against Nebraska, Holmes will move back to his regular position on the outside of the defensive line.
"I’m just keeping it hot for Dre’Mont when he comes back," Holmes said.
Until then, however, Holmes is trying to make the most of his opportunity to play a different position than usual.
"It’s exciting," Holmes said. "It’s not like something I dread. I’m having fun with it, and Jashon Cornell, he’s doing a great job with it too, so we just doing our best until our fallen soldier comes back."
