Replacing Michael Bennett Will Be Ohio State's Toughest Challenge in 2015

Head coach Urban Meyer and Ohio State have to replace eight starters from last year's national championship team, but overcoming the loss of Michael Bennett will be the Buckeyes' stiffest challenge as they begin their quest to repeat in 2015.

The 6'2", 288-pound defensive tackle spurned the NFL to return for his senior season last year—a decision Bennett made to grow as a player and a leader.

"I had a lot of growth I had to do," Bennett said, according to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. "Not just physically, but mentally. I got a lot bigger, my technique got better, I got faster. I grew as a leader and person, especially with the experiences we've had to go through this year."

Bennett emphatically achieved those goals during a stellar 2014 campaign, which aided the Buckeyes as they marched through the first ever College Football Playoff.

But Bennett's ability and leadership—paired with a lack of depth along the interior of Ohio State's defensive line—make his departure the biggest obstacle for the Buckeyes to overcome this season.

The Talent

As noted by Doug Lesmerises of Northeast Ohio Media Group, Bennett was expected to anchor a defensive line that featured three potential first-round NFL draft picks last season.

With Joey Bosa and Noah Spence on the edges, there was talk of the 2014 Buckeyes featuring the best defensive line Meyer ever coached—even better than his 2006 unit at Florida that bulldozed Ohio State in the 2007 title game.

Those expectations faltered, though, when Spence's three-game suspension turned into a year-long ban from the Big Ten. That allowed opposing teams to gear their blocking schemes to limit Bennett and Bosa, and Ohio State's star defensive tackle struggled out of the gate.

But that changed in a big way when the Buckeyes altered things for Bennett. Instead of playing a pure nose tackle position, Bennett lined up in the 3-technique midway through the season.

That allowed Ohio State's star defensive tackle to be the disruptive force he was the year before. He was free to rush the passer and get after running backs in the backfield as opposed to clogging the middle by taking on double-teams.

That switch produced the desired results. Bennett was absolutely dominant for the Buckeyes in their final seven games, leading the team with 11 tackles for loss during that stretch.

His best performance came against Wisconsin in the Big Ten title game, when the Buckeyes shut down NCAA-leading rusher Melvin Gordon and a high-powered Badgers ground attack. Bennett notched four tackles for loss (five total) as Ohio State limited Wisconsin to 71 rushing yards.

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He and the rest of the Buckeyes' defensive line were also the difference in the national title game against Oregon. The Ducks had trouble with Ohio State's combination of size and quickness—especially in the interior—as they ran for just 132 yards.

It was Bennett's position switch and emergence that triggered Ohio State's defensive dominance down the stretch.

Now, after a strong second half to the season, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller is projecting Bennett as a second-round draft pick.

The Leadership

Midway through November, on a frigid day in Minneapolis, the Buckeyes needed a leader.

Ohio State's playoff hopes had just been invigorated by a 49-37 upset victory over Michigan State the week before. But on the road against a feisty Minnesota Golden Gophers team, the Buckeyes found themselves in a battle.

Back-to-back touchdowns from David Cobb had pulled No. 25 Minnesota to within three points at halftime, and the Buckeyes—who desperately wanted to register style points for the selection committee—were losing steam.

That's when Bennett stepped up.

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Infuriated by Minnesota's success in the first half, Bennett ripped the defense for allowing so many big plays.

“Mike Bennett took it very personally—he said some words I’m not gonna say right now,” senior cornerback Doran Grant said of Bennett's halftime speech, according to Tim Moody of The Lantern.

The Buckeyes came out and played well in the third quarter, scoring 14 unanswered points before cruising to a seven-point victory.

“The second half, we did a better job stopping the run,” Grant said.

With Bennett gone, Meyer will need to find a new voice to fire up the defense next year.

The Replacements

The Buckeyes managed to replace seven players who wound up starting in the NFL a season ago, so they have proven their ability to reload.

But replacing Bennett will be difficult because of Ohio State's lack of proven depth at defensive tackle.

Meyer tried to beef up the interior with his 2015 recruiting class, but the Buckeyes missed on their top three defensive tackle targets—Terry Beckner Jr., Christian Wilkins and Neville Gallimore. Ohio State did land 3-star prospects Robert Landers and DaVon Hamilton, but it will be hard for them to crack the rotation as first-year players.

That puts a lot of pressure on Tommy Schutt.

The soon-to-be senior out of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, was a heralded 4-star recruit who was a part of Meyer's first recruiting class in 2012, but he has played primarily as a backup behind Bennett and fellow defensive tackle Adolphus Washington.

At 6'2" and 295 pounds, Schutt is more of a space-eating, run-stuffing tackle who's better slotted at the nose tackle. That will allow Washington to slide back into the 3-technique that he played at the beginning of the 2014 season, which he's better suited for.

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Will these two defensive tackles, playing in their natural roles, be able to help the Buckeyes replace the lost production in Bennett's absence?

If they can't, the Buckeyes will have a hard time finding the defensive groove they had at the end of the 2014 season.

All stats via OhioStateBuckeyes.com. All recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports.

David Regimbal covers Ohio State football for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @davidreg412.