Ohio State's John Simon tabbed as Big Ten defensive player of the year

Recognized for his outstanding play leading the defense for an undefeated Ohio State team this season, Buckeyes senior defensive end John Simon was named Big Ten defensive player of the year on Tuesday night, reported by Land-Grant Holy Land.

The 6'2, 263-pound Simon tallied a career-high nine sacks over 11 games this year at defensive end, including four against the Wisconsin Badgers. Though the Youngstown, Ohio native was not able to suit up for his team's victory over Michigan last Saturday to complete the perfect season, he is still going to finish his time in Columbus with an impressive 3-1 mark against his program's top rival.

Along with playing in 49 career games, Simon racked up 153 total tackles, 46 tackles for loss, 21 sacks, three fumble recoveries and 10 pass deflections over his career with the Buckeyes. He was widely regarded as one of the hardest workers in practice by all three of his head coaches, and is likely to garner plenty of interest from NFL scouts in the coming months. In addition to Simon's selection, Ohio State sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller also brought home the league's offensive player of the year award on Tuesday to give the Buckeyes a clean sweep.