Amid a stage of the season at which regular starters would figure to be sorted, a new one has emerged on the interior of the Ohio State defensive line.
Multiple factors have led to Ty Hamilton’s rise to the top of the depth chart this late in the regular season. Still, one thing’s for certain: The Pickerington, Ohio, native is capitalizing on the opportunity.
In starts against Northwestern and Indiana, Hamilton received the most and third-most snaps in any single game he’s played this season. According to Pro Football Focus, they’ve also been his best performances, as he’s gotten his highest defensive grades of the year in the last two weeks.
But you don’t have to look at the analytics to recognize Hamilton’s recent success. Just ask Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who openly sang his praises at a press conference appearance Tuesday.
“I think he's playing his best football by far. I think you guys have seen it. Graded out a champion,” Day said. “And I think you're seeing versatility there. I think you're seeing strong against the run, powerful against the run, but also transitioning into the pass rush and pushing the pocket. Ty has gotten better every day. He works every day. He's there every day. And we think he's playing to starter level.”
As far as the first part of that statement, Hamilton concurs. The third-year tackle said Wednesday, “These past few weeks have probably been like one of the best weeks of football I've played since I've been here.”
What’s allowed Hamilton to take the next step all of a sudden? He said it’s the work he’s put into the program, whether that resulted in a surplus of in-game opportunities before now or not.
“I think it's just consistency. Every day I came to practice like, alright, I wanted to be a starter,” Hamilton said. “I mean every day, no matter if I was starting or not, I just wanted to come to practice, go to games having that same mindset that I can make a change in the program. … I think it's basically experience. Just being able to come to the games, every single game, I learn something that I didn't know before a game. Being able to take that to each next week and be able to learn and adjust and grow from that. And every week, just get better and better at it.”
Hamilton’s uptick in snaps has come at the expense of playing time for Mike Hall, which seems strange given the latter’s statistical dominance through the first half of the season. As just a redshirt freshman, Hall looked like Ohio State’s best defensive lineman before the bye week, racking up 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss in his first five appearances.
Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles didn’t deny that Hall’s been fighting through injury, whether related to the shoulder issue he suffered early in the season or not. But Knowles reiterated that Hamilton’s role had been earned, nonetheless.
“Ty's played extremely well, so I mean, he deserves that opportunity. But to compare him to what's happening with Mike is wrong because Mike has really battled, really battled injuries,” Knowles said. “So it's not so much a question of saving him. It's just kind of week to week, how Mike is feeling and what he can do. So what he can do on a given Saturday is what he can do, and he'll give us everything he has. But he's really fought through some things.”
Statistically, Hamilton isn’t exactly producing at the same rate Hall was in Ohio State’s first six games. The three-star 2020 recruit was credited with just one total tackle against Northwestern and two with 0.5 sacks, 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup last week against Indiana.
“Ty's like a cold-blooded gentleman, I guess I would say. Quiet, good smile, but he's just really tough inside and he's athletic."– Jim Knowles on Ty Hamilton
Hamilton said that his game as a run stuffer is more developed than his skills as a pass rusher who may be capable of putting up gaudier numbers.
“I'd like to say I excel more at run blocking. Even though I can pass rush – I have to – but I feel like run blocking, run destruction is like probably my specialty,” Hamilton said. “It takes just being able to know your plays, first of all, and then being able to be in your gap and know techniques. Is the offensive line switching? Or (identifying) how they block, something like that. And then using your strength and abilities to take advantage of them and make a play.”
But make no mistake, Hamilton is doing more than just occupying blocks when he’s on the field, and that’s a big part of why his playing time has continued to increase.
“Ty's like a cold-blooded gentleman, I guess I would say. Quiet, good smile, but he's just really tough inside and he's athletic,” Knowles said. “And I've seen him use his hands, get off blocks and make plays. So not only hold point, but I've seen his hand skills really developing. Yeah, he's earned more playing time.”
Ty isn’t the first Hamilton to earn a starting role for the Buckeyes. His older brother, DaVon Hamilton, did so as a fifth-year senior in 2019 and was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft. Ty said he talks to DaVon weekly, and his big brother tells him to cherish the chances he gets as much as possible.
“I talk to him at least once a week. He just said, 'Just keep going, man.' Because you know, you never know (how long) this opportunity can last,” Ty Hamilton said. “So he said he's proud of me, and he just told me to keep working.”
Hamilton said he endured his most challenging offseason as a Buckeye ahead of the 2022 campaign but that “it’s a blast” so far. Hamilton said with Ohio State's talent on the defensive line, “it's just something special that we have this year.”
Hamilton saw no more than 13 snaps against any of Ohio State’s first three Power-5 opponents. But he’s quickly become a leading member of Larry Johnson’s unit, and Hamilton’s plenty proud of that fact.
“I mean, honestly, I felt like it was just like an accomplishment. Because I work every single day, (so) being able to start, it's just a surreal feeling to be able to do this,” Hamilton said. “I mean, even if I wasn't starting, I just want to help the team be able to do what I can for the team.”
