Per SI (note - they did not rank tOSU 3, this was the 3rd of 10 questions in college FB this year):
3. Who will be the new faces of Ohio State's defense?
It's not often you see a team lose nine starters on one side of the ball yet remain on the short list of national title contenders. Part of that is the buzz associated with
Troy Smith,
Ted Ginn Jr. and the rest of the Buckeyes' offense, but it also shows the deep confidence most people have in
OSU's ability to reload. Indeed, included among the projected "new" starters are two fifth-year linebackers,
Mike D'Andrea and
John Kerr (a transfer who was a freshman standout at Indiana), who we've been hearing about for years. At other positions, however, most notably in the secondary, youngsters who have played sparingly will have to blossom into stars immediately if the Bucks hope to remain dominant on D. Among those who will be getting a hard look this spring: defensive end
Lawrence Wilson, linebacker
James Laurinaitis and defensive backs
Malcom Jenkins and
Jamario O'Neal.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ons/index.html