Kayden McDonald
| Ohio State Buckeyes – No. 98 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive tackle |
| Class |  |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 13, 2004[1] |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 326 lb (148 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College | Ohio State (2023–present) |
| High school | North Gwinnett High School |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Kayden McDonald is an American football defensive tackle for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Early life and high school
[edit]McDonald attended North Gwinnett High School located in Suwanee, Georgia. Coming out of high school, he was rated as a four star recruit, and the 290th overall player in the class of 2023, where he committed to play college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes over offers from other schools such as Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Clemson, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Jackson State, Kansas, Lousiville, LSU, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi State, NC State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Purdue, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Troy, UCF, USC, Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin.[2]
College career
[edit]During his first collegiate season in 2023, McDonald appeared in just four games making just one tackle.[3] In week two of the 2024 season, McDonald tallied three tackles in a victory versus Western Michigan.[4] In week ten, he notched one tackle, helping the Buckeyes stop the Nittany Lions from scoring on third goal late in the fourth quarter, to helped the Buckeyes survive beating Penn State 20-13.[5] During the 2024 season, McDonald played in all 16 games, recording 19 tackles with two being for a loss, and a pass deflection.[6][7] Heading into the 2025 season, he will compeate for a starting spot along the Buckeyes defensive line.[6][7][8]
References
[edit]- ^ Davenport, Richard. "Get to know: 4-star DT target Kayden McDonald". The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Means, Stephen. "Kayden McDonald National Signing Day 2023 player profile: Ohio State football recruiting". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Krajisnik, Stefan. "Jim Knowles warned about a breakout candidate for Ohio State football. And he was right". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Anders, Andy. "Kayden McDonald Emerging As Third Defensive Tackle in Buckeyes' Rotation". Eleven Warriors. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Krajisnik, Stefan. "A backup defensive tackle is emerging as a game-wrecker for Ohio State football: Buckeye Bits". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b Helwagen, Steve. "OSU's Kayden McDonald ready to compete for starting job at defensive tackle". 247Sports. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ a b Schmidt, Matthew. "Ohio State Buckeyes' Rising Star Reveals Huge Goal for 2025". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ Means, Stephen. "Ohio State football's next defensive coordinator has a gift waiting for him in Columbus". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 6 July 2025.