Ohio State's history as a football factory traces back to many positions, not least of which is linebacker.
The program's past great linebackers reads like a who's who in Buckeye lore with names like Pepper Johnson, Steve Tovar, Andy Katzenmoyer, Tom Cousineau, Chris Spielman, A.J. Hawk, James Laurinaitis, Marcus Marek, Ryan Shazier and Randy Gradishar dotting the list.
Last year, Darron Lee and Joshua Perry became the latest from the position to not only leave their mark in Columbus but also see themselves taken in the 1st and 4th rounds of the NFL Draft, respectively, leaving two huge holes in Ohio State's linebacking corps.