Last season, the Bobcats defense ended up finishing middle of the pack statistically in the Mid-American Conference. Like any team, Ohio had its weak points and strong points respectively.
Looking specifically at the defensive back group from last year, it excelled in forcing interceptions, as they were fourth in the MAC with 12. Those 12 interceptions came from eight different players, which was tied for second in the conference for most players to record an interception.
Conversely, the defensive weak spot last season allowed 208.1 passing yards per game putting them at eighth in the conference. The defense performed very well, finishing fourth in the MAC in total defense at 352.1 yards allowed per game.
Who’s Back
Last year's safety group lost key pieces in the offseason, but redshirt junior safety and defensive captain DJ Walker is returning as the Bobcats try to build a new safety group centered around him as the new veteran. Walker recorded two interceptions and 61 tackles last season and was selected to the second-team All-MAC in 2024.
The safety room taking a hit allowed returning junior safety JT Haskins to compete for a starting job. Haskins was a rotation player last year while recording six tackles. Haskins is no stranger to the field, though, as he had playing time in all 13 games last season.
There is also redshirt junior cornerback Kendall Bannister. Bannister appeared in 10 games last season and made four starts, recording 13 tackles, one interception and three pass breakups. Bannister sat behind Tank Pearson, whose vacated role as the top corner will fall to Bannister, who has a huge wave of support from his captain heading into the 2026 campaign.
"I think secondary-wise, we're going to be real good. Kendall Bannister is supposed to be our lockdown corner this year," Walker said. "So, I'm looking forward to that group for sure."
Who Left
As previously mentioned, the Bobcats' safety room took a hit in the offseason. Ohio lost two valuable safeties. Junior safety Jalen Thomeson transferred to San Diego State after a breakout season last year. Thomeson led Ohio’s defense in tackles with over 80, while also having seven tackles for loss, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Losing Thomeson is a big hit to this Bobcats secondary, but it wasn’t their only loss.
Ohio also lost two-time team captain safety Adonis Williams Jr. as he graduated. Williams racked up 80 tackles last season. The veteran loss could pose significant concern for Ohio’s secondary if returning safety DJ Walker isn’t able to fill that veteran role.
Pearson is also a big loss due to graduation. Pearson led his defense with 11 pass breakups while also getting two interceptions and making 53 tackles. Some may argue that Pearson was the biggest key to that Ohio secondary last season.
Who’s New
In an attempt to fill the hole in the cornerback room left by Pearson, Ohio brought in two transfers. The first transfer was junior cornerback Eli Thompson from Holy Cross. Thompson was brought in to hopefully be the veteran that the cornerback room is missing after the loss of Pearson.
Thompson has two great seasons under his belt at Holy Cross and is now looking to have his best season yet in year one with the Bobcats.
The other transfer is redshirt freshman cornerback KJ Sejour out of Chattanooga. Similar to Thompson, Sejour had a great season statistically before transferring and is another big addition to the secondary in hopes of adding players with experience.
Overview
Due to transfers and graduation, Ohio faced holes in its secondary, especially in leadership positions. But new transfers and returning players may fill those gaps and help lead a strong campaign in the 2026 season.
