Grading Ohio State: With two All-Americans, the defensive line defied preseason expectations

Diving into the play of the defensive line this season, and how the group looks for the future.

Dec 17, 2025

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Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald were both named All-Americans this year. (Photo courtesy of Ohio State athletics)

COLUMBUS — The defensive line is up next in our breakdowns of Ohio State position groups. We’ll continue to grade each group on a scale of 1-100, with help from Substack subscribers.

Let’s get into it.

What happened this year

Defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and defensive end Caden Curry were named first-team All-Americans, and defensive line coach Larry Johnson — at 73 years old — showed us that he’s still got his fastball.

Not bad, eh?

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