Ohio State Football: Is Joey Bosa the Next John Simon for the Buckeyes?

For the last four seasons, no player Ohio State Buckeye showed more heart, motor and energy than John Simon.

Simon was the heart and soul of the Buckeye defense, displaying a motor that never stopped and an infectious energy that inspired his teammates.

Simon may be gone, but freshman DE Joey Bosa seems like an exact clone of the former Ohio State standout. And if Bosa is a replica, the Ohio State defense will be just fine for the foreseeable future.

Bosa was a 5-star signee out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and already possesses college-ready size at 270 pounds, according to his Scout.com profile.

In watching his highlight film and reading scouting reports, it's hard not to compare Bosa to Simon from a physical perspective, as he has everything you want in a Simon-esque end: he's physical, fast and relentless. 

It's tough to expect kid to have the iron will of a John Simon. Simon was one of the most intense and relentless players in recent memory at Ohio State, possessing athletic qualities that were evident as early as the second game of Simon's freshman season when he outplayed USC's Kristofer O'Dowd.

Physically, Bosa has all of the tools that Simon had and is expected to consistently make plays in the opposing team's backfield—just like Simon once did.

Bosa abilities and intensity might earn him significant playing time on an Ohio State defensive line that must replace all four starters.

The OSU staff has a great history of developing talented defensive linemen: Will Smith, Vernon Gholston, and more recently, Cameron Heyward, Johnathan Hankins and Simon. So Bosa is in good hands and will have all the resources needed to be the next great defensive lineman to come out of Ohio State.

If he's got the same type of nasty streak as Simon had, OSU fans need not worry about the future of the defensive line. It's in good hands.

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