Linebacker Steele Chambers To Return To Ohio State Rather Than Enter 2023 NFL Draft

"I feel like I’ve progressed in just my knowledge of the game, but I think there’s just a lot more that I need to learn."

Ohio State redshirt junior linebacker Steele Chambers told reporters gathered at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday morning that he will put off the NFL Draft and return another season in 2023.

“I just wanted three years under my belt at linebacker,” Chambers said. “I feel like I’ve progressed in just my knowledge of the game, but I think there’s just a lot more that I need to learn.”

Chambers is second on the team this season with 69 tackles, six tackles for loss, three pass break ups, 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown on the final play of the win at Maryland.

A former four-star running back from Roswell (Ga.) Blessed Trinity Catholic, Chambers switched to linebacker in 2021. The move had paid off, as he was recently named honorable mention All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches and media.

“I always thought I was going to come back for a fifth year, especially after the position change,” Chambers said. “That’s always just been my first option, and I think after this year, that’s what I’m going to stick with.”

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Chambers is the second underclassmen to reveal his plans for next season, as redshirt junior safety Ronnie Hickman plans to enter the draft. Others like redshirt junior linebacker Tommy Eichenberg have not made a decision on their future, meanwhile.

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” Eichenberg said during his media availability on Wednesday morning. “(I’m) just focusing on these two games that we’ve got coming up.”

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft is Jan. 16, which gives Eichenberg, junior offensive tackle Paris Johnson and others a little more than one month to figure out if they’ll depart the program or return next fall.

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