The Buckeye Battle Cry will be counting down the Top 25 players of the past decade all spring/summer. Every Monday and Thursday, Jim will be announcing a new player. Our #1 player will be presented on Monday, August 30th. Three days later, the 2010 season officially begins. To view the previous entries in our Top 25, click here.
Vernon Gholston (2006-2007)
Vernon Gholston was a quarterback’s worst nightmare for the two years he started at defensive end for the Buckeyes. While Gholston was instantly a fan favorite for his… photogenic musculature, he also backed up the ” gun show” by setting single game and season records for sacking the quarterback at Ohio State.
Gholston broke on to the scene for the Buckeyes in 2006 as a sophomore following a relatively quiet freshman season in ’04 and a broken hand in ’05 that resulted in a redshirt.
He earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors in ’06 after leading the team in tackles for loss with 15 and sacks with 8.5. He was also sixth on the team in total tackles with 49 and hauled in an interception for good measure.
Gholston followed his break-out performance in ’06 with a season for the ages in ’07.
He recorded 14 sacks that year, including 4 sacks against Wisconsin, both of which are the most recorded by a player in a single season or game at Ohio State.
Vernon Gholston’s season in 2007 was certainly one of the most successful for a player rushing the QB in Ohio State football history, and a performance that was good enough to earn First Team All-American honors.
Unfortunately for Ohio State fans, he decided to take his game to the next level with a year of eligibility left, eliminating his opportunity to challenge Mike Vrabel as the best ever at rushing the quarterback for the Silver Bullets.
Despite leaving one year of eligibility on the table, Gholston is 5th in the record books for career sacks with 22.5 and can be found scattered throughout most of the other tackles for loss and sack categories.
Gholston was drafted 6th overall by the New York Jets in the 2008 NFL draft, making his decision to leave early hard to argue against.
Despite playing the LEO position at Ohio State and dropping back into coverage at times, Gholston has had difficulty adjusting to playing OLB in the 3-4 system that the Jets utilize.
His lack of production thus far in his career makes his name come up as a draft bust in most circles. Hopefully a move back to DE will help jump start his career and allow him to put to use his unbelievable power and athleticism that allowed him to excel as a pass rusher in college.
No matter what happens over the course of his pro career, Gholston’s legacy at Ohio State is secure.
For his All-American season in 2007, for his place in the record books as one of Ohio State’s best pass rushers ever, and for the “gun show”, Vernon Gholston is #15 on our countdown of the top 25 Buckeyes of the decade.
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