OVC Releases 2026 Football Defensive Players to Watch

On Wednesday, the Ohio Valley Conference announced its Defensive Players to Watch ahead of the 2026 football season, which included Andrew Zook , Jacob Waller , and Carter Johnson from the Lions. Zook will be an anchor on the defensive line. In 2025, he made 19 tackles, including a season-high five against Tennessee Tech. The Yorkville, Ill. native started all 12 games and had 1.5 stops for loss and broke up a pass. Waller was a one-time Defensive Player of the Week selection after compiling 17 tackles in a win over Charleston Southern. He finished with 89 stops on the…