Ohio State Football News: LB Tommy Eichenberg meets media to discuss Western Kentucky and improving defense

By Danielle Daniels

Tommy Eichenberg 11 26 2022 vs. Michigan (courtesy IMAGN, photo by Adam Cairns of Columbus Dispatch, USA Today Sports Syndication)

Tommy Eichenberg OSU LB Talks about the defense & Western Kentucky 9 13 2023 W KY Week 3.mp3

 

THE TOMMY EICHENBERG FILE

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Tommy Eichenberg
  • Position:
    Linebacker
  • Height:
    6-2
  • Weight:
    239
  • Hometown:
    Cleveland, Ohio
  • Last School:
    St. Ignatius
  • Year:
    Graduate Student

Follow on Social Media
Twitter: @tommyike41
Instagram: @tommyeichenberg

Ohio State Overview
• Tommy is one of the outstanding linebackers in college football and will be a major awards candidate in 2023 as he enters the season with 186 career tackles, 18.5 TFLs, 31 games played and 17 starts
• The fifth-year senior graduated in May 2023 with his degree in real estate, and he is a two-time Academic all-Big Ten honoree and OSU Scholar-Athlete
• He is coming off an honors-laden 2022 campaign in which he led Ohio State in tackles with 120, TFLs with 12 and was fourth with four passes defensed (one interception, a 15-yard pick-6 vs. Iowa, and three pass break-ups)
• Ranked fifth nationally, and first in the Big Ten, with 77 solo stops and ranked in the Top 25 nationally in tackles per game with 9.23
• 77 solo stops are most in nine seasons by a Buckeye (Ryan Shazier, 101 in 2013) and the second-most by a Buckeye in the last 20 years
• Named first-team all-Big Ten Conference (coaches and media teams) and second-team All-American by virtually every organization
• Named a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award
• Also earned second-team All-America honors in 2022 by virtually every major organization: AP, FWAA, Walter Camp and The Sporting News
• Had four double-figure tackling games in 2022: 15 vs. Penn State, 14 vs. Wisconsin and 13 vs. both Northwestern and Maryland
• Selected as the Lott IMPACT Trophy player of the week back-to-back after wins over Penn State (15 tackles) and Iowa (seven tackles and a pick-6)
• Named the Bronko Nagurski national defensive player of the week after nine-tackle, two-sack game vs. Notre Dame
• Had a breakout 2021 campaign when he was second on the team in tackles with 64, played in all 13 games and started four times
• Terrific against Utah in the Rose Bowl with a Rose Bowl-record 17 tackles, including 11 solo stops
• Recorded seven tackles in the wins over Maryland and Michigan State
• Played in five games, on special teams, in his first two seasons and he did red-shirt the 2019 campaign after playing in only four games

Honors & Awards
2023: Graduated in May with his degree in real estate
2022: Team captain, First-team all-Big Ten Conference (coaches & media), Lott IMPACT Trophy finalist, Butkus Award semifinalist, Second team All-American (Walter Camp, CBS Sports, FWAA, Associated Press and The Sporting News), Academic All-Big Ten Conference
2021: Academic all-Big Ten Conference; Rose Bowl-record 17 tackles vs. Utah
2020: Academic all-Big Ten, OSU Scholar-Athlete
2019: OSU Scholar-Athlete

More on Tommy
• He was a four-star recruit according to 247Sports.com who was a consensus top-10 ranked player in the state of Ohio as a high school senior
• One of the top-20 ranked linebacker prospects by all of the major recruiting services
• A first-team All-Ohio selection as a senior by the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association
• Moved from outside to middle linebacker early in the 2018 season and finished with 126 total tackles (80 solo, 46 assists), eight sacks, 23 tackles-for-loss and five pass breakups
• Also had seven quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles and an interception
• St. Ignatius started 0-2 but finished 8-1 and made the state playoffs with Eichenberg at middle linebacker
• Included in those eight wins was a 21-7 win over eventual state champion St. Edward
• Led the team with 81 tackles and 7.5 sacks as a junior
• A state qualifier for the St. Ignatius track and field team in the shot put and finished eighth at the state championship meet in 2018
• Parents are Heather and Gregg Eichenberg
• Brother, Liam, was an All-American tackle at Notre Dame and is in his third season with the Miami Dolphins

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