Former Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg had redemption on his brain when he decided to return for his fifth-year senior season rather than enter the 2023 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for him, the redemption he envisioned for his final season didn’t quite pan out the way he wanted.
The Buckeyes finished 11-2, suffering a 24-30 loss to Michigan in their regular-season finale, followed by a 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. Eichenberg spoke on Wednesday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, explaining that the back-to-back losses to rivals Michigan and Georgia to end the 2022 season took a toll on him.
“Those last two games last year hurt. It really did hurt losing,” Eichenberg said during his NFL Combine media availability. “And I never really told anyone that, but I felt like I couldn’t leave after those last two games.”
“I wanted to right some wrongs, and obviously my roommates were coming back too, so I just wanted to win, really.”
Eichenberg also suffered his own setback after dislocating his elbow against Rutgers in November, which forced him to miss his final two home games, including his Senior Day against Minnesota.
“I just wanted to be out there. I hated sitting. I hated missing games … I was a captain … But I thank Coach Day because I literally, I was not, I couldn’t play,” Eichenberg said.
The regular-season finale loss to the Wolverines still weighs heavily on Eichenberg, who confessed he could have played better.
“I just know I definitely could have played a lot better,” he said. “I felt like I let down so many people, really. Especially being a captain, too. You know, that’s the standard is winning that game. It was very hard for me. But you gotta keep moving forward.”
And, moving forward is exactly what he’s doing. With a healthy elbow, Eichenberg plans to participate in the full workout on Thursday at the Combine. He is currently projected to be a third or fourth round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Eichenberg finished his final season with Ohio State with 79 tackles and one sack. He is the younger brother of Dolphins offensive lineman Liam Eichenberg.
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