Ohio State defensive tackle Ty Hamilton coming back for 2024 season
COLUMBUS — First it was Tyleik Williams. Then it was Jack Sawyer. And now it’s Ty Hamilton.
Hamilton became the third Ohio State defensive lineman to “reload the clip.” That’s the hashtag they’re using to announce their returns for the 2024 season.
Hamilton, a soon-to-be fifth-year defensive tackle, is part of a Buckeyes defense that ranked second nationally in points per game allowed (11.2) this season and is putting the pieces back together for what could be an encore performance.
“First of all, I would like to thank God for the opportunity and blessing it is to be here at The Ohio State,” Hamilton wrote on social media. “I want to thank my family and my coaches for helping along the way in this journey, but I think there is still some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of for the brotherhood.
“With that being said, I will be returning for another year. Go Bucks!”
Hamilton rounded out the 2023 season with 38 total tackles — his previous career high was 15 — 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Plus, according to Pro Football Focus, Hamilton generated nine pressures.
He surged at the end of the season, combining for 19 total tackles, 4.0 TFLs, both of his sacks and five pressures over the final five games.
His Cotton Bowl performance against Missouri stood out on its own, and it featured a pretty cool moment.
Sawyer went to Pickerington North. Ty Hamilton went to Pickerington Central. They’ve gone from playing against each other as kids to making up a good chunk of the Buckeyes’ defensive line production. That was again the case against Missouri, especially in the second quarter when both Sawyer and Hamilton sacked Tigers quarterback Brady Cook on the same drive, ultimately forcing a 4th-and-17 Tigers punt.
Hamilton was in for just 21 defensive snaps during the Cotton Bowl yet was tied for fourth on the team with six total tackles, including two for loss. Hamilton turned in the third-best PFF run defense score (71.6) on the team, making three tackles against the Missouri rushing attack, according to PFF.
Additionally, Hamilton posted a team-high run defense stop percentage of 18.8% in the Cotton Bowl — in other words, the percentage of his run defense snaps where he was responsible for a stop. For reference, linebacker Cody Simon was second in that category at 11.9%, per PFF.
Hamilton is the brother of DaVon Hamilton, who was a third-round draft choice of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 after earning All-Big Ten honors on the Ohio State defensive line. The younger Hamilton was a do-it-all defensive stalwart at Pickerington Central, where he played defensive tackle, defensive end and, at times, linebacker. His high school career culminated in a senior season in which he recorded 118 tackles, eight TFLs, 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble for a state title-winning squad. Even so, Hamilton was a three-star prospect who barely made the top 750 in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
Regardless of his recruiting ranking, though, he’s found a way to earn meaningful snaps at Ohio State. Hamilton appeared in just two games during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 campaign. Since, however, he’s played in all 39 of the Buckeyes’ contests the last three years.
Hamilton mounted 13 tackles and a pair of sacks in 2021. His sacks came against Akron and Indiana, and he recovered a fumble versus Michigan State. Although his on-paper production might not suggest it, Hamilton broke out in 2022. He started the last five games of the season, including the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia when he logged a career-high three solo tackles. His 15 pressures last season were tied for sixth on the team, per PFF.
Hamilton upped the ante again in 2023. He’s coming back for more in 2024.
Ohio State will have two of its top-three defensive tackles returning for next season. Mike Hall Jr. declared for the NFL Draft, but Williams and Hamilton are sticking around.
