5 Greatest Ohio State Football Defensive Players in History

You want to talk about an impossible list to craft, you try naming the five greatest Ohio State defenders in school history and getting consensus. The number of absolutely incredible players left off the list would be in the conversation at any other school’s top five.

At linebacker alone you have to pick from the likes of Randy Gradishar -- probably the best NFL player among the group -- Chris Spielman, James Laurinitis, AJ Hawk, Andy Katzenmoyer, Tom Cousineau, Pepper Johnson, Steve Tovar. It’s incredible.

We included a couple of names on our list that you may not find in others. But, as we’ve said before, have at it in the comments. That’s part of the fun.

Honorable Mentions

• DL/OL Bill Willis (1942-1944)
• DL Jim Stillwagon (1968-1970)
• LB Randy Gradishar (1971-1973)
• LB Tom Cousineau (1975-1978)
• DB Antoine Winfield (1995-1998)
• LB A.J. Hawk (2002-2005)
• LB James Laurinaitis (2005-2008)
• DB Malcolm Jenkins (2005-2008)
• DE Chase Young (2017-2019)

5. LB Andy Katzenmoyer (1996-1998)

With all the great linebackers in OSU history, Katzenmoyer stood out to us as being second most worthy of cracking the list. Plus, the unfair finish to his NFL career means time has kind of forgotten how much of a star he was.

He was a star from the get-go, becoming the first player in school history to start at linebacker as a true freshman. Katzenmoyer racked up 12 sacks that year as the Buckeyes went 11-1. As a sophomore in 1997, he won the Butkus Award and the Jack Lambert while earning consensus All-American honors.

By the time he finished in Columbus, he notched 256 tackles, including 50 for-loss, with 18 sacks, and six interceptions.

Kazenmoyer made the All-Rookie team in 1999, but played just eight more games, forced to retire because of a neck injury.

4. LB Mike Vrabel (1993-1996)

Ohio State’s all-time sack leader, Vrabel teamed with Matt Finkes on the edges of the Buckeyes’ defense in the mid-1990s and simply terrorized opposing quarterbacks.

Vrabel made first-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore, junior and senior while also winning Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors in those last two seasons. Back in 2000, the Touchdown Club of Columbus released its All-Century Team and Vrabel found himself on that list, too.

3. S Mike Doss (1999-2002)

Defensive backs don’t usually make "Best Defensive Players" lists. Their statistics aren’t usually attractive enough. Interceptions are, sure. But what if a player doesn’t rack those up? They are, after all, something of a matter of luck.

Doss still recorded eight picks over his four seasons with the Buckeyes. On top of that, no defensive back in school history has picked up more than his 331 tackles. Doss was already a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the end of his sophomore year, a feat he would achieve three times.

In 2002, as the Buckeyes captured the national championship, Doss was named co-MVP of the Fiesta Bowl just days after earning unanimous All-American status and capturing the Jack Tatum Trophy.

2. DB Jack Tatum (1968-1970)

Speaking of Jack Tatum, Ohio State’s greatest defensive back could be considered Ohio State’s greatest defensive player. On our list, he’s No. 2.

A brutally heavy hitter who terrorized wide receivers and quarterbacks alike across the Big Ten the late 1960s and early 1970s, Tatum truly earned his “Assassin” nickname.

Like Doss, he was named first-team All-Big Ten in each of his final three seasons. In Tatum’s final two years, he was a unanimous All-American. He won National Defensive Player of the Year in 1970 and even picked up votes for the Heisman Trophy, the only defender that year who earned such recognition.

Ohio State was dominant in Tatum’s three years as a starter, too, going 27-2 while winning national championships in 1968 and 1970.

1. LB Chris Spielman (1984-1987)

In 2025, when the Associated Press picked its All-American teams from the last 100 years-worth of college football players, three linebackers made the First Team. Spielman was one of them.

Seriously, one of the best three linebackers to ever play college football, Spielman was a lock for this list. And honestly, a lock for the top spot.

Spielman was named an All-American three times while at OSU, picking up first-team as a sophomore, consensus honors as a junior, and a unanimous choice as a senior. He earned the Lombardi Award after the 1988 season and went on to make four NFL Pro Bowls.

More Ohio State Football Rankings

• 10 Greatest Ohio State Football Players Ever
• 5 Greatest Ohio State Quarterbacks of All Time
• 5 Greatest Ohio State Running Backs of All Time