There will be no shortage of position battles for Ohio State this spring on both sides of the ball.
At linebacker, Sonny Styles remains the elder statesman in the room now that he’s elected to return for a fourth season following a national championship run. But the Buckeyes are losing both a team captain and their starting middle linebacker in Cody Simon, who was the defensive MVP in two of the Buckeyes’ four postseason games.
But a young player performed well enough this past season at Mike that he’ll likely have the inside track to replace Simon for 2025: Arvell Reese.
As a sophomore, Reese recorded 43 total tackles across 16 games with 3.5 tackles for loss, two quarterback hits and a half a sack. He frequently rotated in throughout the season, seeing plenty of meaningful snaps in key game situations, mostly in three-linebacker packages. (And received one painful targeting call in the Nebraska game that the Big Ten declared wasn’t actually targeting the following week).
“I think the area I’ve grown the most is learning about playing middle linebacker and communicating more,” Reese told Eleven Warriors of his season in January. “Playing more free, playing more confident.”
When fall camp started in 2023, Ohio State experimented with Reese by trying him out at defensive line. Before the season started, the Buckeyes switched his position back to linebacker and had him playing off the ball. He appeared in eight contests, only appearing on special teams.
Eventually, both parties realized middle linebacker was his best fit on the field, and it’s a position he’s expected to contribute at going forward for OSU.
“I think it’s his habits,” Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said last month of why Reese has found success. “Last year, we put him down on the defensive line at the beginning part of the season and then we tried to play him off the ball, so this offseason was really his first time trying to re-digest the linebacker position. The way that he has grown and retained information has been impressive. He plays so hard, the ceiling for Arvell, I can’t put into words because he can do so much for you. He’s got great size and a burst toward him, he’s just going to continue to grow. I don’t think we’ve seen his best football yet.”
Reese closely studied Simon over the past year and tried to soak in what it takes to be a full-time starter at the position.
“I learned a lot from Cody, just the way he prepared for games, the way he prepared for everything,” Reese said. “Cody is an example of what a middle linebacker at Ohio State is supposed to be, in my eyes. I mean, the way he prepared, the way he led. I feel like when he leaves, those traits will be picked up by players in the room.”
His mentor appreciated how much Reese grew throughout the year, especially with the mental side of the game.
“I think his confidence and his play speed have gotten a lot better,” Simon told Eleven Warriors ahead of the Cotton Bowl. “It’s tough, our defense is a little bit complex, so for him to come in as a young player and being able to adapt, our coaches really trust him now. For him to have the playing time he does, he’s playing really well.”
Reese says his greatest attribute is his speed and pursuit to the ball, and he’s proud of his ability to play sideline to sideline. This offseason, he plans on focusing on improving in coverage and playing within the box. He says he’s put in plenty of preparation during offseason training before, but hopes to be intentionally technical with his training over the next few months, cutting down on unnecessary steps in his pursuit. Ultimately, he hopes it ends with him winning a position battle and starting in the middle of Ohio State’s defense on Aug. 30 against Texas.
“That’s the goal,” Reese said about his plans to hopefully start next year. “Hopefully step up and fill (Cody Simon’s) shoes and put the work in and hopefully get the job.”
