J.T. Tuimoloau announced Friday that he will return to Ohio State next season, further bolstering the Buckeyes in the trenches.

"A sense of unfinished business, and an unbreakable bond with my Buckeye brothers, I am standing firm into my decision to return," he wrote in a post on Instagram.

Tuimoloau was the latest underclassman on the defensive line to put off leaving early for the NFL. Among Ohio State's defensive linemen with starting experience, only Mike Hall Jr. declared for the draft with Tuimoloau following fellow defensive end Jack Sawyer, as well as defensive tackles Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams, in remaining in school.

Tuimoloau has been one of the Buckeyes’ top pass rushers and a standout run stopper over the last two seasons, living up to much of his recruiting pedigree. His five sacks this fall were the second-most on the team behind Jack Sawyer’s 6.5.

When Tuimoloau signed with the Buckeyes as the cornerstone of their 2021 recruiting class, he was their highest-ranked defensive signee of the last two decades.

An early breakout came in 2022 for Tuimoloau when he put together a game for the ages in a win at Penn State.

In his signature performance, he totaled two interceptions, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, showcasing unique versatility for an edge defender. He returned the second of his two picks for a touchdown.

Tuimoloau, who was named a second-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and first-team All-Big Ten by the conference's coaches and media this past season, also had seven tackles for loss and two pass break-ups as he took on a larger role for one of the top defenses in the nation.

According to Pro Football Focus’ tallying, Tuimoloau lined up for 677 snaps, the second-most among any of the Buckeyes’ defenders. Only cornerback Davison Igbinosun was on the field more often.

Following Tuimoloau’s return, nearly all of the Buckeyes’ defensive line is poised to remain intact ahead of next fall.

No one from the two-deep depth chart entered the transfer portal during the winter window, and Hall has been the lone early entrant for the NFL draft.

The deadline for underclassmen to file paperwork for early entry is Monday.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football DE J.T. Tuimoloau returning for senior season