Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (30) sacks Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan (2) during the second quarter of their game in Huntington Bank Stadium at University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN on September 2, 2021. Credit: Courtesy of TNS
Graduate linebacker Cody Simon will be the latest Buckeye honoree to wear the Block “O.”
Simon will switch over from No. 30 to don the Block “O” jersey for the Buckeyes this season, according to a Saturday afternoon Ohio State Football X post.
Ohio State began the Block “O” jersey tradition in 2020 to honor Bill Willis, a Columbus native who played guard for the Buckeyes as well as the Cleveland Browns and had his No. 99 retired at Ohio Stadium in 2007, according to Eleven Warriors.
The NCAA began allowing players to wear the No. 0 in 2020, making Simon the fifth Buckeye to earn the Block “O” honor. He was preceded by linebacker Jonathon Cooper, offensive tackle Thayer Munford, wide receiver Kamryn Babb and, most recently in 2023, wide receiver Xavier Johnson.
Simon has spent the past three seasons backing up former Buckeye linebacker and three-year starter Tommy Eichenberg, with his playing time and impact growing significantly in each of his three years.
In 2023, Simon racked up 57 total tackles for the Buckeyes, good enough for fourth on the team. He also had a career high in tackles during last season’s Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against Missouri, with 12 total.
In addition, Simon — along with senior defensive end Jack Sawyer, graduate wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and senior running back TreVeyon Henderson — was named as a 2024-25 Buckeye football captain, according to an Ohio State Football X post.
Over the course of Egbuka’s career with the Buckeyes, he’s hauled in 124 career receptions [tied for 14th at Ohio State] for 1,857 yards [tied for 16th at Ohio State] and 14 touchdowns. Egbuka originally committed to Ohio State as a consensus five-star prospect and the No.1 receiver in the class of 2021, according to 247 Sports.
The Steilacoom, Washington native caught 41 passes for 515 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, earning third-team All-Big Ten honors by the conference coaches.
Egbuka’s offensive teammate, Henderson, also came in as a five-star recruit and the top running back in the class of 2021, according to 247 Sports.
Henderson has played in 31 games and started 29 times during his three seasons with the Buckeyes, accumulating a whopping 2,745 career rushing yards and 37 total touchdowns in his time at Ohio State.
The senior running back is slated to share the backfield with Mississippi junior running back transfer Quinshon Judkins, forming a duo of two of the most productive running backs in the country last season.
The final of the new Buckeyes captains, Sawyer, is a homegrown talent.
Sawyer grew up just 30 minutes outside of Columbus in Pickerington, Ohio and was a Varsity O letter winner three years straight, playing in 39 games and starting all 13 games last season.
In his first full year as a starter in 2023, Sawyer had a very solid season, tallying 48 total tackles while leading the Buckeyes with six-and-a-half sacks.
