Kayden McDonald, Ohio State Buckeyes, DL - News, Stats, Bio

Big Ten Standings

Team	Conf	Overall
IND	9-0	16-0
OHIOST	9-0	12-2
OREG	8-1	13-2
USC	7-2	9-4
MICH	7-2	9-4
IOWA	6-3	9-4
WASH	5-4	9-4
ILL	5-4	9-4
MINN	5-4	8-5
NEB	4-5	7-6
NWEST	4-5	7-6
PSU	3-6	7-6
UCLA	3-6	3-9
RUT	2-7	5-7
WISC	2-7	4-8
MICHST	1-8	4-8
MD	1-8	4-8
PURDUE	0-9	2-10

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Summary

With McDonald, what you see is what you get. He is a two-down nose tackle through and through, but an elite one for someone who only just turned 21 years old. To dominate at such a strength-based position at that age is notable. His ability to play with consistent leverage is exceptional on tape and will be no fun to try to block in the NFL.

About

2025: Unanimous All-American; Big Ten DL of the Year
2025: 65 tackles (third-most by FBS DT); 9.0 TFL (led Big Ten DT)

Strengths

Super-stout anchor in the run game; great vs. double teams for a young DT.
Active hands to get off blocks; can win late.
Gets low into contact; can reset the line of scrimmage immediately.

Weaknesses

Not the kind of athlete to offer much more than a little pocket push as a pass rusher.
Can get cut off on wide runs if he doesn’t read it at the snap.
Smaller upper half for a defensive tackle; limits his ability to control defenders.