Ohio State senior linebacker Cody Simon will return for a fifth season, a development that is poised to give the Buckeyes continuity in the middle of their defense next fall.

Simon said Tuesday that he will use his extra year of eligibility from the coronavirus pandemic-shortened season in 2020 to remain with the Buckeyes.

“I’m just excited to be back,” Simon said. “I know it was the right decision.”

The return of Simon leaves the Buckeyes with a natural replacement for Tommy Eichenberg as the starting middle linebacker. Eichenberg, the Big Ten's linebacker of the year, can also return as a result of his COVID-exempt year, but is expected to leave for the NFL. He accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl last week.

Before Eichenberg overtook the top spot on the depth chart, Simon started at middle linebacker as a sophomore in 2021 until he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder.

Over the following seasons, Simon has remained an integral part of the linebacker rotation, often lining up as part of three-linebacker packages. He also started twice last month in place of Eichenberg, who was unavailable with an arm injury.

Simon totaled 45 tackles during the regular season, including three for a loss of yards, the sixth-most among the Buckeyes.

An opportunity to reclaim the top spot in the Big Ten motivated Simon to return in 2024.

“There are so many team goals that I want to still complete,” Simon said, “and we haven’t done a great job of completing them the last couple of years. I want to accomplish those goals.”

Simon referenced both capturing a Big Ten championship and topping archrival Michigan, which has defeated the Buckeyes in three consecutive years.

Ohio State’s last win over Michigan was in 2019 when Simon a senior in high school at St. Peter’s Prep in New Jersey.

“It’s a lot of unfinished business,” he added.

Simon said he finalized his decision to return within the last week after speaking with his family and coaches.

“There was a part of me that did want to go and explore what the NFL has to offer, but I think ultimately it’s the right decision to use all the time you can, because you never get these years back.”

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 linebacker Cody Simon to return next season