With linebacker starters sidelined during spring ball, Cody Simon stepped up as leader

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom•07/06/23•

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Cody Simon by Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State linebacker Cody Simon after wreaking havoc in the backfield against Michigan during the 2022 season. Simon is now in his fourth year with the Buckeyes. (Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, a second-team All-American who was playing with a pair of injured hands late last season, sat out the Buckeyes' 15 practices in March and April. Steele Chambers, Eichenberg's partner-in-crime in the second level, missed the latter portion of spring ball with turf toe. Their absences, however, were actually somewhat of a luxury for Ohio State's defense, where linebacker snaps come at a premium in second-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles' 4-2-5 system.