Teradja Mitchell will be back in scarlet and gray next season.
The senior linebacker and team captain has opted to use his super senior season of eligibility to come back for a fifth year with the Buckeyes in 2022, after spending much of 2021 as a starter in the Ohio State back seven.
Mitchell began the year as the starting Will linebacker for the Buckeyes, leading Ohio State linebackers in snaps played in five of the first eight games of the season, but his workload dropped off significantly thereafter.
Mitchell was usurped in the starting lineup and played no more than 13 snaps in any of the final five games of the season, and the five-star recruit didn't take any defensive snaps against Michigan State or Michigan. Mitchell seemed to be dealing with injuries in the latter half of the season, but his reduced playing time led to questions about what he would do the following year.
In his first season as a regular starter, Mitchell tallied 45 total tackles – sixth-most on the team – and racked up 4.5 tackles for loss.
Ohio State parted ways with linebackers coach Al Washington, who coached Mitchell for three seasons, on Jan. 13, with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles taking over as linebackers coach for the Buckeye defense.
Steele Chambers, Cody Simon and Tommy Eichenberg are all among the returning inside linebackers for Ohio State in 2022, and the Buckeyes brought in Arizona State running back DeaMonte Trayanum out of the transfer portal to transition into a role at linebacker moving forward as well. Palaie Gaoteote, who transferred in from USC last summer, will also be back for the Buckeyes.
