Ohio State Buckeyes · All-time career leaders
Ohio State Football Career Tackles Leaders
Marcus Marek holds Ohio State's career tackles record with 572 tackles (1979–1982). Tom Cousineau (569) and Chris Spielman (546) round out the top three. 5 of the top 20 played since 2000; the most recent is Joshua Perry (2012–2015), No. 16 on the list.
Ohio State BuckeyesUpdated Oct 6, 2026
| Rank | Player | Years | Tackles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marcus Marek | 1979–1982 | 572 |
| 2 | Tom Cousineau | 1975–1978 | 569 |
| 3 | Chris Spielman | 1984–1987 | 546 |
| 4 | Steve Tovar | 1989–1992 | 408 |
| 5 | AJ Hawk | 2002–2005 | 394 |
| 6 | "Pepper" Johnson | 1982–1985 | 379 |
| 7 | James Laurinaitis | 2005–2008 | 375 |
| 8 | Alvin Washington | 1977–1980 | 345 |
| 9 | Ed Thompson | 1974–1976 | 338 |
| 10 | Glen Cobb | 1979–1982 | 336 |
| 11 | Mike Doss | 1999–2002 | 331 |
| 12 | Randy Gradishar | 1971–1973 | 320 |
| 13 | Kelton Dansler | 1975–1978 | 316 |
| 14 | Ryan Shazier | 2011–2013 | 315 |
| 15 | Aaron Brown | 1974–1977 | 314 |
| 16 | Joshua Perry | 2012–2015 | 298 |
| 17 | Jerome Foster | 1979–1982 | 290 |
| 18 | Ross Homan | 2010 | 287 |
| 19 | Lorenzo Styles | 1992–1994 | 282 |
| 20 | Nick Buonamici | 1973–1976 | 280 |
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Sources & notes
- CFB Clipboard — Career leaderboards researched and compiled by CFB Clipboard.
- Career totals cover a player’s games at Ohio State only.
Last updated Oct 6, 2026.