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Larry Johnson is back at the NFL draft, and it is some kind of habit. The revered defensive line coach at Ohio State, whose son, former all-pro running back Larry, Jr. was a first-rounder in 2003, keeps coming back to graduate his star pupils.
This time, it’s Kayden McDonald, the first-team All-America defensive tackle and Big 10 Defensive Lineman of the Year, projected as a potential first-round pick.
“It’s a special moment,” Johnson told USA TODAY Sports this week as he geared up for the short trip to Pittsburgh to attend his fifth draft. “You get to see the families and the tears, the celebrations and the happiness.”
While the Buckeyes' fingerprints will be all over the first round – in linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, safety Caleb Downs and receiver Carnell Tate, Ohio State is poised to become the first program to produce four top-10 picks since Michigan State in 1967 – the impact that Johnson has had over the years is notable in its own right.
The roll call of stars that Johnson has developed at Ohio State and previously at Penn State, includes first-rounders Chase Young, Nick and Joey Bosa, Tamba Hali, Jimmy Kennedy, Michael Haynes and Courtney Brown, the No. 1 pick overall in 2000.
It’s no wonder that McDonald, 21, chuckled as he recited one of the coaching points he received from Johnson.
"He brought up the older guys, the guys he coached," McDonald told USA TODAY Sports. "He said, 'The proof is already in the pudding. Just follow the plan.'"
Kayden McDonald 'was around great players.' Then he became one
McDonald didn’t need much convincing that the plan works. And fast.
Like Reese, who could be chosen as high as second overall by the Jets, McDonald rose to become a potential first-rounder in just one season as a full-time starter.
“It’s amazing. That doesn’t happen very often,” gushed Johnson, whose work with Reese was limited to occasional pass-rush drills. “But you knew they had the skill set.”
In the case of McDonald, pegged in several mock drafts for a possible selection in latter portion of Round 1, Johnson said it helped to back up two players chosen in last year’s draft, Tyleik Williams (25th overall, Detroit) and Ty Hamilton (5th round, 148th overall, L.A. Rams) in the year before his breakout campaign.
“He was around great players,” said Johnson, also the associate head coach under Ryan Day. “He played (as part of a rotation in 2024), but when he got a chance to grab the horn and run with it, what he did is beyond any nose guard in a long time. To be able to get 64 tackles as a nose guard is just unheard of. But he dedicated himself, worked on his diet, worked on his conditioning. So, I saw a guy go through a change like you like to see. I can’t be more proud of him for what he did in his first year as a starter.
“Arvell Reese, same thing. He had been in the background playing linebacker, then all of a sudden he comes to the front with his chance to shine. And he takes off. That’s pretty cool.”
'He's my family.' Larry Johnson's tough love grounded in trust
McDonald, widely sought as a 4-star recruit from North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia, is quick to identify some of the ingredients that formulate Johnson's secret sauce as a coach.
For one thing, McDonald said, "He made sure that I was uncomfortable."
That speaks to the tough-love reputation that Johnson, who started building his coaching legend on the high school circuit in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area, has built over many years.
“He was just hard on me,” McDonald added. Focus on perfecting details for techniques that developed better footwork and use of his hands came with a certain mindset.
“We had a lot of conversations, 'Do you really want this?' Even if I had a good day, he always kept me grounded."
Then there’s the relationship factor.
"I don’t even call him a coach," McDonald says. "He’s my family."
That says much about the trust that Johnson, 74, maintains is at the root of the connection – "If a guy trusts you, you can push them to greatness," he says.
And if that’s not enough, well, Johnson has a way of getting a point across with a bit of show-and-tell. As McDonald described it, it’s typical for Johnson to join in with his players with demonstrations – bag drills, pass-rush drills, the gamut – on the practice field. Never mind that the coach is in his mid-70s.
Talk about making an impression on your players.
"He’s showing us how to do and being 70-something years old? It gave me motivation," McDonald insists. "He’s old, man. But he’s out there playing with us."
Johnson acknowledges that his demonstrations come with a limit, that he goes at his own pace.
"If I can’t do that anymore, it's time to get out of coaching," he says.
From the sound of it, that won’t happen anytime soon. Johnson says he's in his best physical condition in years, having dedicated himself to a disciplined diet and exercise regimen that allowed him to lose 60 pounds over the past year.
And that, too, is a teaching moment for a veteran coach.
"The kids were watching me closely," he said.
Then again, Johnson knows there are other essential reasons why he keeps developing star defensive linemen for the NFL draft. It has a direct link to his prowess as a recruiter.
"You get the right people, the guys that want to be great," he said. "And then my job is to put them in position to be successful. That's always been my plan. It’s more about them and less about me."
Yet with another of Johnson's pupils poised to make an NFL entrance on the grand stage, it is no coincidence that so many can point to the impact of a master teacher.
Contact Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ohio State DL coach Larry Johnson's legacy grows with every NFL draft
