Few players on Ohio State’s defense have seen their status rise as much as Cody Simon in the past three games.
His usage in the Buckeyes’ defense has ticked up every week, seeing his first snaps in meaningful action this season against Notre Dame, rotating in for Steele Chambers on 10 plays and incorporating as a third linebacker on an additional five.
Coming off Ohio State’s open week, he played 21 snaps against Maryland, but last week’s Purdue game was the true emergence of his role. Simon gobbled up 45 snaps, 13 more than Chambers, and collected eight tackles with one tackle for loss against the Boilermakers.
“I’m just blessed I’m in this position,” Simon said. “I’m taking it one day at a time and I appreciate everything that’s going on in my life, good or bad.”
As the Buckeyes hit the back half of their season, starting with a top-10 test at home against Penn State on Saturday, Simon is expected to see similar rotations with Chambers as he saw against Purdue going forward.
“They’re neck and neck,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “Cody is continuing to earn more playing time, he plays both (linebacker) positions extremely valuable. But he’s earned the time and he’s extremely competitive at that position.”
While Simon’s usage against Notre Dame was limited, he managed to make a key stop during the game’s early stretches.
As the Fighting Irish faced 4th-and-1 inside the Ohio State 30-yard line, Simon forced Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman out of bounds near the first down marker as Hartman tried to scramble to move the sticks. Initially ruled to have reached the line to gain, replay overturned the call and the Buckeyes’ offense took the ball back.
A big play for the @OhioStateFB defense stopping Sam Hartman on fourth down!
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 24, 2023
: NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/4FXbGA7ENq
Such physical hits have always been part of Simon’s game, he feels. What he’s had to develop over time is his understanding of how to best execute at his position.
“It’s really just the mental side,” Simon said. “Playing linebacker is always a physical position to be in, so really it’s just knowing what your job is and how to complete it at the highest level possible.”
One teammate he’s been able to lean on is Chambers, in spite of the fact that he’s been taking some of the fifth-year senior’s snaps the past few games.
“He shows me a lot of the ways, because playing behind him, it’s not an easy job,” Simon said. “From the TV copies and the bird’s-eye view it may look easy, but there’s so many little things that go into it. He’s taught me so much and I’m still learning right now.”
Knowles and Ohio State’s coaching staff adjusted their linebacker rotation in practice early on this season to help accelerate Simon’s learning curve, the coach said. Simon has also cross-trained at Mike linebacker in addition to Will, ready in case he needs to fill in for Tommy Eichenberg in the heart of OSU’s defense this year.
Simon’s strength at the point of attack makes him a better run defender in the box than Chambers, Knowles said, though the latter has his own strengths.
“Cody brings an added dimension in the run game because he’s more of a Mike linebacker type,” Knowles said. “When he’s in there at Will, he can be more effective in the run game. Obviously Steele brings a stronger athleticism, seems to be able to make more plays in the passing game and cover more space.”
“Cody brings an added dimension in the run game.”– Jim Knowles on Cody Simon
As his opportunities increase and he attempts to stack more performances like he had against Purdue, Simon wants to remain just as driven as he’s been. That way he’ll be as impactful as possible whenever he sees the field. Which, if trends remain the same, should be a lot as the back half of the season wears on.
“Staying hungry, that’s the main thing,” Simon said. “It doesn’t matter if I get one (snap) or if I play the whole game. My job is to be as prepared as anybody is on that field and when my number gets called, I do whatever coach tells me and do it with as much energy as I can.”
