Affectionately known by some of his teammates as the Albino Rhino, then-redshirt freshman Tuf Borland emerged as Ohio State's starting middle linebacker late last season as part of a larger plan to get Chris Worley back into a comfort zone at his outside linebacker spot.
The move helped the Buckeye defense hold opponents to 13 points per game over the final five outings starting with a 48-3 spanking of then-No. 12 Michigan State as Borland manned the middle posting 11 stops including one for loss while Worley added five tackles and a sack as the defense played without the services of Jerome Baker and Dante Booker.
Borland saw plenty of snaps before the thrashing of Michigan State including a 12-tackle performance against Army back in September but his breakout performance against Michigan State helped change the look of Ohio State's rush defense with Borland in the middle flanked by Worley and Baker.
With that lineup, Ohio State held opponents to just 2.2 yards per carry over the final five games as only Michigan cracked the century mark with exactly 100 rushing yards on 2.8 yards per carry.
Tuf Borland averaged 6.2 tackles per game over Ohio State's final five contests last season.
Those numbers don't jump off the page in comparison to Ohio State's full-season rush defense stats in which they allowed 105 yards per game on 2.9 yards per carry but when you consider the competition over those final five games included a Wisconsin team averaging 222 rushing yards per game along with USC (185), Michigan (177) and Michigan State (168), they have a little more shine.
For his part, Borland tallied 31 stops over those final five contests, good for a 6.2 tackles per game average, while coming off the field during nickel package looks. Across the full season, he ranked fourth on the squad in tackles with 58.
Heading into 2018, Borland stands as the lone returning starter from the trio that finished out last season. Based on his production down the stretch, it's a decent bet he'll be the starter again this fall though he certainly could get a push from Baron Browning.
Of course, it's also very possible the more versatile Browning could shift to a weakside spot, with Borland in the middle, and Malik Harrison on the other side.
However it ultimately shakes out, Ohio State, despite fielding a loaded defensive front once more, will lean on Borland's experience in the middle particularly on rushing downs.
How well he can hold up against legit rushing attacks will go a long way in determining what kind of year the 2018 Buckeyes ultimately produce.
