Ohio State head coach Ryan Day sings the praises of Earl Little Jr. as he takes over in the back end of Ohio State's defense.
There are a couple of Buckeyes that have huge shoes to fill next year in 2026, transfer Earl Little Jr. is one of them.
Little comes from Florida State after a two-year stint in Alabama, where he started his career under Nick Saban. He comes to Columbus with the responsibility of replacing Caleb Downs, who is going to be a top-10 pick in April's NFL Draft.
On Tuesday after practice, Ryan Day matched the same energy that Jeremiah Smith brought to the Earl Little conversation last week. Smith commented that Little is going to hold it down on the back of the Ohio State defense.
Day backed that up today by saying that he crushed the Spring in both the weight room and with the team, fitting right in. He then commented that on the field he plays "fast and twitchy." Then, for the first time that the Buckeyes tackled during scrimmages, he was the first one to show up, tackling and making plays.
Day finished by saying that he has been a real bright spot for the Buckeyes and a guy that is a natural scheme fit for Matt Patricia.
We will dive into how that is in a later conversation, but he has to show up from day one in fall camp.
Statistically, Little didn't and won't jump off the page in his time at Florida State. He finished with just 91 tackles, four interceptions, three tackles for loss, and one sack in two years as a Seminole.
His best year for FSU was last season, where he put up 76 tackles and four interceptions in 12 games.
Now, stats absolutely do not tell the entire story, and they won't, especially under Matt Patricia. Even Downs last year statistically didn't stand out, but is regarded as one tf the top-5 defensive players in the entire country.
Little's responsibility is far from small next year. He is going to be tasked to come into a defense and right away make an immediate impact on the team. This is a defense that is losing four players who are likely going to be first-round draft picks and seven key defenders from last year.
The Buckeyes on that side of the ball are going to look significantly different, and they will be leaning on Little to make a major impact in his one year in Columbus.
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