LVR • LB • #45
The brother of Miami Dolphins OT Liam Eichenberg, and Ohio State HC Ryan Day’s first official commit as the Buckeyes’ head coach, Eichenberg (6’2/233) grew up in the Cleveland area and got to realize a childhood dream by playing for his home state team. The four-star recruit barely sent a ripple through the defensive depth chart during his first two years on campus, charting just two tackles in that span. He started the first three games but was relegated to rotational work after charting a ghastly 29.7 game grade against Oregon. Eichenberg still managed to log 431 snaps and finished strong by making 17 tackles in their bowl game against Utah. In 2022 new Ohio State DC Jim Knowles took over the defense and in turn, Eichenberg led the team with 120 tackles and 12.0 TFL while being named First Team All-Big Ten. The two-time team captain recorded a 91st percentile PFF run grade (5th in FBS) and an 86th% overall grade that ranked 8th in the Power Five. He somehow eclipsed that by earning Second-Team All-America accolades while recording 31 stops and 82 tackles before dislocating his elbow late in the season. He somehow returned after missing three contests to play the final game of his career against Michigan. A true linebacker mentality that would make Jack Lambert proud. A hamstring injury caused him to opt out of the 40-yard dash, but between his pro day and Combine, Eichenberg ran a 4.24s shuttle (85th%) and 7.02 3-Cone (83rd%) that checked the athleticism boxes, while his 20 bench reps were tied for second-most from the 2024 linebacker group. A downhill enforcer who has pop in his hands and a laser-guided radar when locking onto his ball carrier target. His coverage ability projects as average, as he doesn’t have the same intrinsic feel for that passing game as he does around the line of scrimmage. A no-nonsense defensive leader and captain, Eichenberg lives the football life on and off the field and is considered a known commodity in terms of his ability to assimilate into an NFL lineup.
9 months ago
April 27, 2024 6:37 PM
