Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (30) sacks Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan (2) during the second quarter of their game at the University of Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN, on September 2, 2021. Photo credit: Courtesy of TNS
Graduate linebacker Cody Simon will be the latest Buckeye honoree to wear the Block-O.
Simon will switch from the No. 30 jersey to the Buckeyes’ Block “O” jersey, according to an Ohio State Football X announcement released Saturday afternoon. post.
Ohio State began the tradition of the Block “O” jersey in 2020 in honor of Bill Willis, a Columbus native who played guard for both the Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns and whose No. 99 was retired at Ohio Stadium in 2007, according to Eleven Warriors.
The NCAA began allowing players to wear No. 0 in 2020. Simon is the fifth Buckeye to receive the Block-O honor, joining linebacker Jonathon Cooper, offensive tackle Thayer Munford, wide receiver Kamryn Babb and, most recently in 2023, wide receiver Xavier Johnson.
Simon has spent the last three seasons backing up former Buckeye linebacker and three-year starter Tommy Eichenberg, with his playing time and impact increasing significantly in each of those three years.
In 2023, Simon totaled 57 tackles for the Buckeyes, good for fourth on the team. He also set a career-high with 12 total tackles in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against Missouri last season.
Over and beyond — along with senior defensive end Jack Sawyer, graduate wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and senior running back TreVeyon Henderson — was named captain of the 2024-25 Buckeye football team, according to an Ohio State Football X post.
Over the course of his career with the Buckeyes, Egbuka has 124 receptions (14th at Ohio State) for 1,857 yards (16th at Ohio State) and 14 touchdowns. Egbuka originally committed to Ohio State as a five-star prospect and the best receiver in the class of 2021, according to 247 Sports.
The Steilacoom, Washington, native caught 41 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns in 2023 and was selected to the All-Big Ten third team by the conference’s coaches.
Egbuka’s offensive teammate Henderson was also rated as a five-star recruit and the best running back in the class of 2021, according to 247 Sports.
Henderson has played in 31 games and started 29 times in his three seasons with the Buckeyes. During his time at Ohio State, he amassed an incredible 2,745 rushing yards and 37 total touchdowns.
The senior running back will share the backfield with junior running back Quinshon Judkins, who transferred from Mississippi, creating a duo of two of the most productive running backs in the country last season.
The last of the Buckeyes’ new captains, Sawyer, is a homegrown talent.
Sawyer grew up just 30 minutes outside of Columbus in Pickerington, Ohio and won the Varsity O-Letter award three years in a row. He played in 39 games and started all 13 games last season.
In his first full year as a starter in 2023, Sawyer had a very solid season, recording 48 total tackles and leading the Buckeyes with six and a half sacks.
