Larry Johnson and Ryan Day have been recruiting Tywone Malone to come to Ohio State since he was in high school. So when Malone entered the transfer portal in April in search of a new home to continue his college football career, it didn’t take long for him to be sold on becoming a Buckeye.
“They’ve been hard on me since high school. So I knew since I entered the portal, they hit my phone, I just knew was the right choice for me,” Malone said.
The No. 1 prospect from the state of New Jersey, No. 11 defensive lineman and No. 63 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, Malone was heavily recruited by Ohio State out of Bergen Catholic High School and considered becoming a Buckeye back then. Instead, Malone chose to sign with Ole Miss, where he played both football and baseball for the past two years.
Malone says he has “no regret at all” about starting his college career in Oxford. But after seeing only occasional playing time in his two years with the Rebels, in which he recorded 13 tackles with two sacks, Malone felt it was time to seek a new opportunity.
“I was happy at Ole Miss, that was my home, those are my brothers, will always be my brothers. But I just had to start up a new chapter,” Malone told Eleven Warriors at Friday’s CareSource Football ProCamp.
Malone will be focusing fully on football at Ohio State, which he believes will enable him to improve his skill set significantly. In just a couple of months as a Buckeye, Malone feels like he’s already become a better defensive tackle through working with Johnson, who he says has been teaching him new pass-rush techniques.
Johnson’s track record of producing NFL defensive linemen and the way he coaches his players were both major points of appeal for Malone in choosing to become a Buckeye.
“I would say just his aspect of how he treats his kids, how he treats his players,” Malone said when asked what stuck out to him about Johnson. “And he knows everybody wants to be great, he's gonna push you to the limit and he’s gonna make you want to be like that.”
Malone was already familiar with Johnson’s style of coaching thanks to two years of playing for Ole Miss defensive line coach Randall Joyner, who worked alongside Johnson as an Ohio State graduate assistant in 2016 and 2017. Malone said Joyner teaches his defensive linemen many of the same techniques that Johnson does, and Malone believes he’s a better player than he was two years ago because of his development under Joyner.
“He told me a lot of things about the game; how to watch film, how to study your opponent, just how to learn the plays and stuff,” Malone said. “So I give credit to him. Without him, I wouldn't be at this spot I’m in now.”
Tywone Malone played in all 13 games for Ole Miss last season but saw only 97 defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. (Photo: Petre Thomas – USA TODAY Sports)
Malone is one of two new Buckeye defenders who transferred to Ohio State from Ole Miss this offseason along with cornerback Davison Igbinosun, who is also from New Jersey. He’s excited to have Igbinosun with him in Columbus.
“Man, it’s great, because we already knew each other since at Ole Miss and now coming here together, we just know what we gotta do to push each other, make everybody work,” Malone said. “My man’s a lockdown corner. He ain’t gonna let nothing fly over there on that side.”
Malone and Igbinosun join a list of players from New Jersey who have become Buckeyes in recent years that includes Cody Simon, Luke Wypler, Ronnie Hickman and Jordan Fuller, among others, and he said Columbus feels more familiar to him than Mississippi did.
“It feels more like a city, more like home,” Malone said. “Just feels like I’m right back at home.”
Although Ohio State returns three of its top defensive tackles from last season in Mike Hall, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, Malone is confident he can make an immediate impact for the Buckeyes, particularly stopping the run, which he considers to be his biggest strength. He says his goal is to get on the field as quickly as possible, and he expects Ohio State fans to notice him once he does.
“They’re just gonna see a dominant force,” Malone said. “A guy that’s gonna stop the run, get after the quarterback. Everything they need out of a D-lineman.”
Malone says Ohio State’s other defensive tackles have helped him learn the playbook and how Ohio State operates since his arrival in Columbus in May. And he’s already made a positive impression on his fellow Ohio State defensive linemen.
“Man, he came in, he was one of us,” said Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau. “He's a very funny guy, but also you could see that he wanted to work hard. And I can tell he's a hard worker because he played dual sports, so having to go for football and baseball, it just shows how much he's willing to work and how much he's willing to sacrifice to be great.”
Malone has likewise been impressed by how hard his new teammates work as he’s gone through summer workouts with the Buckeyes.
“Every day at workouts, everybody’s fired up, very excited to go,” Malone said. “They just bring a lot of crazy energy.”
That gives Malone all the more reason to feel he made the right decision the second time around by coming to Ohio State, where he strives to win championships and establish himself as an NFL prospect.
“I'm a competitor, I like to compete. So anybody that can compete here can play at the highest level. And that's what I came here for,” Malone said.
