Ohio State Football: What You Need to Know About Buckeyes DE John Simon

Ohio State football may have had a very down 2011 season, but they have high hopes for a strong 2012— even weighed down by NCAA sanctions—and a large part of that is due to senior DE John Simon.

Simon came to Ohio State as a freshman in 2009 and made an immediate impact on the team, starting with his second collegiate game where he dominated USC All-American C Kris O'Dowd.

In 2010, he and Cameron Heyward formed a dominant one-two punch on the defensive line that made life miserable for opposing offensive lines all game long.

Simon was the focal point of the Ohio State defense last year and will be again this year, but with Urban Meyer running the ship after a tough 2011.

Simon was pretty solid a year ago, but the rest of the defense had tough games, especially the linebackers who were just not very good as a unit a year ago.

What makes Simon an exceptional college football player is his absolutely relentless motor and pure strength.

He is consistently among lists of college football's "athletic freaks," including this list from Bruce Feldman.

That type of physical aptitude can't be taught—it can be harnessed and redirected, which is what Simon is so good at doing.

If you're lining up opposite of Simon, you're likely going to be in for a very long afternoon.

Simon's biggest key is working more on his technique as a pure end, as he is more of a light DT in a 4-3 set and a 3-4 DE, yet he is lining up as a 4-3 end.

But he has lost some weight in the offseason and tried to make himself leaner in an attempt to make himself more of a force on the edge.

He has a huge help to him on the defensive line in DT Johnathan Hankins, whose dominant play in his own right makes Simon's life easier because it makes offenses less likely to double-team Simon off the edge.

If Ohio State's defense is going to be better in 2012 than in 2011, Simon needs to continue to be the best player on the defense.

He is the perfect player to use as a role model when it comes to knowing how to play with intensity at the college level.

The Buckeyes defensive line is one of the few things on the roster that is already strong and mostly set in stone, and Simon is the main reason why.

He has been among the best Buckeyes in the modern era and will make an NFL team very happy to have him in the 2013 NFL draft, where he likely could be a first-round pick.

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