Defensive Line Coach Larry Johnson and Defensive Line Speak to the Media
8/14/2025 9:37:00 AM | Football
On the depth with the defensive tackle and who has stepped up:
“Lack of depth means that we don’t have it. We have depth. Lack of experience is what we don’t have, right? So that's not lack of depth. You have to build from within, so what we’re trying to do is build depth to experience and practice. But the dividers are there, they just haven't played football. We have depth. We have six guys that I think can go play it. We have to get those guys ready to go play. So, to me its not about building depth, its getting these guys ready to play.”
On Eddrick Houston and how he will be helpful for this year:
“We’ll find out August 30th. I think he’s got a chance to be really special, don’t get me wrong. I think he’s got a chance, but again, he’s a young player learning how to develop, so I don’t want to put all that pressure that he’s got to go do this. He just has to go play to his ability. If he can do that, it gives us a chance to play really, really solid defense up front.”
On changing positions to the interior defensive line:“Yeah, I feel comfortable there. With Tyleik Williams help, it helped me point out the stuff I need to work on and I've been attacking those things this offseason in order to get better and be the best version of myself.”
On Kenyatta's leadership in the defensive line room:“He's been a great leader, as well as Caden Curry, mostly all the seniors now. They're just all stepping up into that role since we had a bunch of great leaders leave and been great. They’re keeping us here, keeping us on time and they're watching film together, so I love all our leaders.”
On the confidence of the defensive line after losing all four starters:“We have a great coach in Larry Johnson. For years and years, he has been able to produce and build up people into being the best version of themselves. It's a great resume: Chase Young, Sam Hubbard, Nick Bosa, Joey Bosa, a bunch of great people that he's able to build up so that we can be the best version of ourselves, go out there, produce the same and there'd be no drop off.”
On the changes from last year to this year:
“You have to take it to another notch. Every year, you just take it as a learning experience when it's really your time to come out and play. The room was crowded, now it's us next. The habits increase everything. Everything we do we have to take it to another notch because playing here you are playing the top competition every week.”
On how he's changed from high school to now being in college and playing football:
“I am definitely physically different. I feel like everything's increased. I got bigger, stronger, faster, but I think just being able to come in and just play a role. I feel like in high school, you kind of just go out there, but at a school like this, everybody has a different ability they can do at a top level. Being able to learn what your role is and being able to attack that role, just get better at it."
On how he is a more physically prepared player:
“Just really having that mentality. Having guys like Tyleik and Ty, they showed me what it took. Now I just took the steps, I’m doing more conditioning, just getting ready to play four downs and playing through the fourth quarter.”
On how much of the offseason focus has been trying to be a player who can stay on the field through four downs:
“It started with fixing my diet, putting the right stuff in my body, taking care of myself, taking my vitamins, doing conditioning every day, hitting the sled every day, meeting with Coach Day and being in the film room every day. There’s a difference. Once you take that role, you have to really live it because you only get this one chance and opportunity in a lifetime, so I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
On how the depth of the group is starting to come together:
“We have to get all sixteen guys ready to play, so we’ve been working really hard in the off season and every day with Coach Mick, the strength staff, Kayla the nutritionist, Coach Johnson, just doing the extra stuff. We’ve been working really hard and it’s going to show August 30th.”
On how he would describe himself out on the field as a defensive player:
“I’m somebody that never gives up on a play. I’m sideline to sideline and I fight to get better everyday.”
On what it is about Coach Johnson that helps them catch up to things last year and are able to learn so much:
“With Coach J, you just see all the players he’s had before and you see how dynamic and how versatile they are. So, I don’t know what it is about him but he just knows the way to talk to us and he knows the way to get to us. I call him more of a mentor than a coach.”
On what is setting this year’s defense apart from last years:
“I feel like we don’t need to be anything different. Obviously, our defense was great last year. I think we need to just keep playing with our hair on fire and keeping playing one play at a time and doing our best.”
On their role for this year:
“It’s going amazing. We have a lot of talented guys, so I’m just excited for us to all to be able to work together as a unit and just continue to get after it.”
On his impression of Coach Patricia:
“Coach Patricia is awesome. I love Coach Patricia. He’s a great dude. He really cares about every single person on our team and obviously he has a super smart football mind.”
On what Coach Johnson has brought out of him that made Ohio State the right fit for him:
“I think my favorite part of Coach J is his spirituality and his faith. I think that's the one thing that me and him have been able to relate a lot more on and continue to grow more so than with past coaches. I think that’s been really cool.”
On how he has been able to step up as a leader this off season:"It’s pretty much just being myself. You have different leaders — you’ve got the vocal leader, you’ve got the leader that sets by example and I just try to be myself around the guys. A leader can’t tell a younger guy what to do if the leader’s not doing it, so every day I push myself to the standard of the freshman and they follow after me."
On what he thinks the difference between being a starter and the guy that goes in is:"Being named a starter, that’s a big thing, but even if you go in there and are making plays or playing a lot, that’s good as well. A starter and a guy that plays a lot are pretty much the same thing."
On how he feels that some of his teammates think he could be a first round draft pick:"I don’t really get into that too much. I come in just wanting to get better. If God blessed me to be a first rounder then he blessed me to be a first rounder, but I’m trying to get better."
On his transition from high school football to college football and his want to be a Buckeye:
“In high school, it's a dream you have to work towards and when you actually get here, it is almost like a little smack to the face. You are here to work and I have to give all my props to Coach Mick. He was able to transform my body into who I am today and all the strength I've gained, so I can't take all the credit.”
On the culture aspect of football here at Ohio State:
“You can't be able to transform your body like I have or like people do without having that mentality with it. We always talk about competitions here and our culture is fighting, so we're always here to compete. I feel that is what gets you in that mindset
On how he got through tougher times:“I would say all the coaching staff and most importantly my family. My family has been my supporters since I was a kid. I tell them my problems and what things I have to do. It really helped me understand why I have to stay focused, have to keep working, have to keep grinding, especially with the motto here with tough love and discipline. You have to keep fighting because like I said before everything is not going to go your way when you first come here. Everything is not going to be how you thought and how you adjust to certain situations is how you are going to build in real life."
On what excites him most this year:
“Seeing how the team is going to be. We had a great team last year and this year we have everybody coming back in young and fresh. So, seeing how hard everybody was working in the offseason and how everybody is working in camp."
On how excited he is to be a full-time pass rusher:
“I'm loving it. I'm really enjoying the pass rush and the position change, but it truly shows how versatile I can be because of how I played linebacker for the past few years, now I am just rushing the passer.”
On his relationship with Coach Matt Patricia:
“He's been around a lot of people. I worked with a few guys that he's coached in the past, and I like to pick his brain on things he sees and things that he can help me on the edge. He cares as well, and he wants to make sure that everybody's successful and obviously if you're on this team, I hope your goal is to make it to the NFL, and like I said, he's been there.”
