Despite replacing eight starters after each of the last two seasons, there are still several veteran players on Ohio State’s defense. However, when Ohio State’s defense had some struggles in the team’s first scrimmage during the middle of the offseason, it was junior middle linebacker and first-year starter Payton Pierce who stepped up to remind the rest of the players on his unit that their level of play wasn’t acceptable.
“That day wasn’t our standard, and so I just felt like I needed to say something to the group,” Pierce said. “I just feel like it comes naturally when something doesn’t seem right to speak up about it, and I just give that credit to my family and my parents that have kind of instilled that leadership in me.”
The lecture Pierce gave to his fellow Buckeye defenders was only one example of his voice emerging in the buildup to the 2026 season. From the start of fall camp, Pierce has been very transparent about his biggest goal: To be a captain for Ohio State.
“When I came here, it was my goal to be a captain and be a leader of this team,” Pierce said early in August. “So every decision I make is kind of towards that, doing what’s best for the team and trying to be the best leader I can every day.”
Pierce made good on his goal on Aug. 23, when he was one of seven players named a captain. But even though he had his sights set on being a captain for the Buckeyes, he may not have envisioned receiving more votes than any other player on the team for the honor.
“It means a lot,” Pierce said when asked about the significance of receiving more votes for captaincy than any other player. “That meant a ton to me. I didn’t know if I was going to be voted captain or not. The night before, I was kind of thinking about it a little bit. It was relieving hearing my name being called, and it just means a ton to me. It means more than a lot of things, because being voted by your peers — to lead them is a huge honor. It’s like one of the biggest honors in this program, and seeing the captains before me, it’s a huge role, and I know the standard I have to play at and lead at, and so I’m ready to go do that.”
His leadership will have to show up at the middle linebacker position. Pierce will be the Buckeyes’ green-dot wearer, in charge of communicating defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s playcall to the rest of his teammates.
Since Pierce first arrived in Columbus, the Buckeyes have always had a linebacker as the unit’s green-dot wearer, and during each of the past two seasons, Simon and Styles were out in front as Block “O” recipients.
According to Day, it’s especially important for the Buckeyes to have Pierce’s leadership at his position.
“(Pierce is) somebody that he leads from the front, which is important in today’s day and age when a lot of guys want to lead by example,” Day said. “He’s got a voice, and in that position, as we know, it’s really important that everybody’s on the same page at the front. He knows exactly what’s going on, ties it into the back end. That’s one of the things that probably was underrated. I know we’ve talked about it a little bit here, but when you think about losing guys like Sonny and Caleb, it was the communication, getting everybody together. Payton does that, and because of that, he just is a natural leader.”
Pierce agreed with his head coach’s assessment that the linebacker position at Ohio State comes with a little added responsibility, and now that he’s been named a captain, it’s clear he’s off to a good start in that regard.
“Yeah, 100 percent, I think as a middle linebacker, you have to be a leader,” Pierce said. “You have to get guys lined up and have to encourage guys and be calm within the storm, but also go downhill and make some plays. You have to lead the guys around you, and I’ve got all the other leaders on our team leading me and holding each other accountable. So it’s been great just having everyone do that.”
Although leadership is something that comes naturally to the Buckeyes’ middle linebacker, his voice was shaped by those who came before him, including Styles and Simon. Even if it meant he had to wait his turn before getting on the field, Pierce is grateful he had the chance to sit and learn behind the great linebackers that preceded him.
“Obviously I’d want to be a leader earlier in my career, but I also got to learn from a bunch of really great leaders, and I’ve felt like it’s kind of perfect timing,” Pierce said. “God’s plan is always bigger than mine. Watching Cody Simon lead as a freshman, then watching Sonny lead last year and then watching Coach Laurinaitis lead us the last two years, I’ve been able to learn from some of the best. I’ve been able to take a bunch of different stuff from them, and then even having like (strength and conditioning coach Mick Marotti) and Coach Day leading our program, I’ve been around so many great leaders, so I’ve had a lot of people to learn from.”
