COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Unfortunately for third-year Buckeye linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, even the departure of long-time starter Tuf Borland from the program doesn’t guarantee that he’ll become the regular starter in the middle of the defense by the start of the 2021 season.

However, an untimely setback for senior linebacker Dallas Gant in the form of a foot injury might just allow Eichenberg the chance to get a leg up in the competition with some much-needed reps this spring.

Linebacker coach Al Washington’s expectations for Eichenberg have less to do with his place on the depth chart and more to do with cultivating certain intangibles, but those two things might just have some correlation.

“What do I expect to see out of him this spring? Number one, leadership. He’s got to lead,” Washington said. “He’s got to be a guy that leads by example and leads by communication. We talk about leadership in our room, you have to be seen, you have to be heard and you have to be felt. A lot of times they don’t feel you until they see you and they hear you.”

It’s no surprise that Washington is looking for new leaders to emerge in his position group, as the room loses four seniors and two team captains from 2020. Eichenberg’s on-field acumen may not give him the most credibility at present, given that he played all of six snaps a season ago, but that leadership will no doubt come with experience.

“He works so hard. So much of being great at anything starts with effort and passion. Tommy loves football. He loves it. He loves being at Ohio State,” Washington said. “Tommy was a guy coming out of high school who was committed at one point to Boston College –– that’s my alma mater. And I say that just to highlight the fact that he wasn’t a blue chip guy. And so he’s always had a chip on his shoulder, he’s always had things to prove so to speak, that attitude.”

Eichenberg was a four-star prospect in the class of 2019, the No. 12-rated inside linebacker in the country and the No. 213 overall recruit in the class. Playing high school football at St. Ignatius in Cleveland, Eichenberg didn’t commit to Ohio State until Dec. 6, 2018, but he’s been cutting his teeth in the program ever since.

Washington said his second goal for Eichenberg this offseason is to become a technician, a pursuit he feels many of his young linebackers have been hindered in due to the lack of regular opportunities to put in work last year in particular.

Washington wants Eichenberg to improve his fundamentals “from the ground up” in the coming months, but for a player that he described as “hyper-competitive” both on the field and off, it doesn’t sound like Eichenberg is too far off from taking some big strides in year three.

“That’s what’s gonna make him an elite player –– I won’t give him that title yet –– but I think he’s trending that way, he’s trending that direction because of that, that chip, that sense of purpose, that sense of drive,” Washington said.