Former Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau became the seventh Buckeye to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night when the Indianapolis Colts drafted him with the 45th overall pick in the second round.
It comes as no surprise that Tuimoloau heard his name called fairly early in the Draft, after he totaled career-highs in tackles (61), tackles for loss (22) and sacks (12.5) in his senior season.
After a solid freshman season, in which he recorded 17 tackles, including five for loss, the former top-five overall recruit in the class of 2021 and three-time All-Big Ten first-team selection, made a name for himself during his sophomore season with a phenomenal performance in Ohio State’s 44-31 win over Penn State. In that game, Tuimoloau had three tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, including a pick-six, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Tuimoloau may not have had a marquee performance as a junior like he did in the previous year, but he took another step forward in 2023 and recorded a then-career-high 5 sacks on the way to being named a second-team All-American.
Not only did the Edgewood, Wash. native have his best season as a senior, but he also played his best at the right time. In four College Football Playoff games, Tuimoloau recorded 23 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.
