Jerron Cage, Teradja Mitchell And Palaie Gaoteote Returning To Ohio State For Extra Season Of Eligibility

The Buckeyes will have six "super seniors" on next year's roster with the three defenders returning.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced on Monday afternoon that senior defensive tackle Jerron Cage and senior linebackers Teradja Mitchell and Palaie Gaoteote will return for the extra year of eligibility granted to all student-athletes amid the pandemic and return to the Buckeyes in 2022.

Cage, a former four-star prospect from Cincinnati Winton Woods, finished last season with 11 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery for a touchdown, which sparked Ohio State’s 33-24 win over Penn State on Oct. 30.

With Haskell Garrett off to the NFL, Cage will likely start opposite of rising redshirt senior Taron Vincent next season, while redshirt junior Ty Hamilton and sophomore Tyleik Williams will push them for playing time inside.

Mitchell, meanwhile, was named a team captain and started out the year as the Buckeyes’ starting weak side linebacker but saw his playing time fall off significantly in the final month of the season as he dealt with unspecified injuries.

The former five-star prospect from Virginia Beach finished the season with 45 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss in 11 games, missing the win over Tulsa on Sept. 18 and loss to Michigan on Nov. 27.

Last but not least, Gaoteote joined the program as a transfer from USC. He was initially ruled ineligible by the NCAA before the governing body reversed course ahead of Ohio State’s Sept. 11 loss to Oregon.

The lack of preseason reps ultimately hurt Gaoteote’s chances of playing a significant role last fall, and he recorded just nine tackles, one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery and a half sack in eight games.

Both Mitchell and Gaoteote will compete with the likes of rising redshirt juniors Steele Chambers and Cade Stover and Arizona State transfer DeaMonte Trayanum for playing time on the outside in new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense.

That said, Cage, Mitchell and Gaoteote now join kicker Noah Ruggles, tight end Mitch Rossi and long snapper Bradley Robinson as players who will take advantage of the extra year.

Senior cornerback Sevyn Banks, on the other hand, is “moving on” from the program and likely entering the 2022 NFL Draft after graduating with his degree in communications last month.

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