Cody Simon takes on leadership role as linebacker for Ohio State

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Over the past few decades, Ohio State has built a nice little pipeline to find recruits from the state of New Jersey. It started with Malcolm Jenkins in the class of 2005 and has picked up steam since then. Notable recruits from the Garden State have included Eli Apple, Jordan Fuller and Noah Brown. Currently on the roster is Cody Simon, who came to Columbus via St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City. Simon was the third-best player in the state of New Jersey in the class of 2020, making him the fourth top-five prospect from the state to come to Ohio State from 2018-2020. The others during that time frame were Tyler Friday, Ronnie Hickman and Luke Wypler.

It didn’t take long for Simon to get on the field after arriving on campus. As a true freshman in 2020, he played in six games, mostly on special teams and as a backup to the linebackers. While Simon may not have been on the field under the most crucial circumstances, his work helped him gain the trust of the coaching staff, allowing him to take on more in the years that followed.

As a sophomore, Simon’s workload began to increase in 2021, as he recorded 54 tackles in 10 starts for the Buckeyes. In an early-season win against Akron, Simon recorded the first and only interception of his career. Unfortunately for Simon, he was unable to play in the 2022 Rose Bowl against Utah after being sidelined by an injury that would also keep him off the field during spring practice a few months later.

After sitting out spring practice, Simon was ready to go when Ohio State kicked off its 2022 season against Notre Dame. Unfortunately, Simon felt that missing those workouts to get familiar with new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense contributed to a subpar junior season for the linebacker. Simon finished seventh on the team with 32 tackles, but on the positive side, Simon got into the backfield more, recording two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.

In the 2023 season, Simon was able to return to the form he had as a sophomore, and he finished the season with 57 tackles, which is a career high. While Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers were the starting linebackers for Ohio State, Simon was a key part of the Buckeyes’ defense, especially when Eichenberg was injured late in the season. While the offense was awful in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri, Simon played the best game of his college career, finishing with 12 tackles, which is a career high. This performance laid the groundwork for Simon’s return for another season in Columbus, where he would undoubtedly be one of the starting linebackers early in the season.

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New linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said Simon is not only a starter in 2024, but also the “undisputed leader” of Ohio State’s linebacker squad. With Sonny Styles moving from safety to linebacker, CJ Hicks trying to live up to the hype that surrounded him coming out of high school and a number of younger linebackers trying to make a name for themselves, Simon is viewed as a stabilizing force of the group because of his experience.

While some players shy away from being a leader, Simon is embracing the role and says he has prepared his entire life to be in such a position. Although Simon will have a lot of help at the other levels of the defense with Ohio State returning an incredible amount of talent on that side of the football, we’ve seen how dangerous the Buckeyes’ defense can be when their linebackers play competently. Simon is definitely smart enough to fill the role of quarterbacking the linebackers, and he’s shown he has the physical tools to make the necessary plays. If there’s anyone on defense deserving of a Big Ten title and a deep run in the College Football Playoff, it’s Cody Simon.