“I always thought I was gonna come back for a fifth year, especially after the position change,” Chambers said. “That’s always just been my first option, and I think just after this year, that’s what I’m going to stick with.”
Chambers is second on the team with 69 tackles, including six for loss and 1.5 sacks. He intercepted one pass and broke up two more in his first full season at linebacker.
He was considered a prospect on each side of the ball as a prep star at Blessed Trinity Catholic in Roswell, Ga., but ultimately chose running back to begin his Ohio State career.
After running for 221 yards on 28 carries in his first two college seasons, he moved to linebacker full-time early last season and was a starter by the end of the campaign.
Though Chambers endured some ups and downs, he received positive early reviews for his instincts and speed then became a more consistent player this season in the new scheme of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who also coaches his position.
“I feel like I’ve progressed in just my knowledge of the game, but I think there’s just a lot more that I need to learn,” he said. “I feel like I’m pretty premature as far as like linebacker savviness.”
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
The other Buckeyes who took part in the team’s bowl media day interviews Wednesday were less forthcoming about their plans.
Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., who was one of the country’s top prospects as a senior at Cincinnati Princeton in 2020, said he spent all season trying to avoid getting ahead of himself as far as thinking about what is next.
“Because I’ve seen a lot of seasons not go people’s way because they’re too concerned about what they’re going to do after the season instead of having their mind right where their feet is at, which I’ve been trying to focus on,” Johnson said.
He did allow that he accomplished one of his major long-term Ohio State goals by being named a first-team All-American this season.
That means he will have a tree in the Buckeye Grove and permanent recognition within the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
“I wanted my name to be somewhere in Woody, whether it was captain or a Buckeye tree, just have a picture on the wall so I’d have a reason to take my grandkids here and be all, ‘Yeah I used to do this back in the day,’ you know?” he said with a grin. “I’ve always wanted to have that sort of reason to come back to show stuff off, so it’s really cool.”
(Ohio State’s offering a scholarship to Rhode Island transfer tackle Ajani Cornelius might be a clue about how the coaching staff feels Johnson is leaning, though they already know they are losing their starting right tackle, senior Dawand Jones, and there was concern about depth at the position entering the season.)
Johnson is widely projected to be a first-round pick if he enters the draft so his return would qualify as a big surprise, but others’ status is much less clear.
Tight end Cade Stover and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg both said they have not thought hard about what they will do next season yet.
Eichenberg developed into an All-Big Ten player and key leader of the defense in his first season as a starter, logging 112 tackles including 12 for loss.
Stover is finishing his second full season as a tight end. He caught 35 passes for 399 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season.
Third-year sophomore Luke Wypler said he has not made a decision about his future after his second season as Ohio State’s starting center, but he will use the Peach Bowl matchup with Georgia as a litmus test.
Then there’s third-year sophomore C.J. Stroud.
The two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Quarterback of the Year has been viewed as a first round pick since late last year, so it is almost foregone conclusion he will not return.
The subject almost didn’t even come up during this 20 minutes with reporters, but he did mention at one point having three years of eligibility left (thanks to the 2020 season not counting as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic).
That prompted a follow-up regarding whether or not he would actually use any of those years.
“That’s up to God,” he said before finishing the interview session. “God bless y’all.”
Junior receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and fourth-year safety Ronnie Hickman previously announced they will enter the draft.
PEACH BOWL
Saturday, Dec. 31
Ohio State vs. Georgia, 8 p.m., ESPN, 1410
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