Game Day Magazine Feature (Sept. 22, 2012) - Lead The Way
Ohio State Overview: Christian Bryant is part of a hard-hitting trio of returning starters in the secondary for the Buckeyes ... a true senior, Bryant has played in 31 games and has started 22 times, including all 12 games as a junior when the Buckeyes went 12-0 and were the No. 3 ranked team in the nation ... Christian has been the second- and third-leading tackler on the team the past two years (2012 and 2011, respectively) and his 149 career tackles represent the second-highest total on the team ... his 21 career pass break-ups also rank second among current Buckeyes, as do his three forced fumbles ... he is coming off a fine junior campaign that saw him earn second-team all-Big Ten Conference honors ... his 70 tackles trailed only Ryan Shazier's 115, and his 13 passes defended (12 PBUs and one interception) ranked sixth in the Big Ten ... he had five-or-more tackles in nine games last season, including a season-high nine vs. Nebraska ... recorded his first career interception against California, with 1:22 left to play, that capped the Buckeyes' 35-28 win ... he had a career-best three pass break-ups in the win over Indiana ... Christian, who played in seven games as a true freshman in 2010, earned a starting safety position prior to the 2011 sseason ... he played in all 12 games in 2011, started nine times and battled through a shoulder issue that finally caused him to miss the regular season-ender at Michigan ... he ranked in a tie for third in the Big Ten with eight pass break-ups, and his eight total passes defended (PBUs and INTs) ranked 13th in the league ... he was tied for second among Buckeyes in passes defended ... he was also third on the team with 68 tackles, a figure that included a career-high 10 vs. Nebraska and nine vs. both Michigan State and Purdue ... Christian was pressed into safety duty as a freshman in 2010 because of an injury to Tyler Moeller ... first significant plays on defense came vs. Illinois and he responded with five solo tackles ...
made his first career start the next week vs. Indiana ... a foot issue kept him out of five games later in the season.
More on Christian: There's a reason Christian, who is majoring in sociology, brings a physical presence to the field every game, and that's because he is a Tar Blooder from Glenville H.S. ... he is another in a talented line of hard-hitting Glenville defensive backs that have played for the Buckeyes, including current NFL performers Donte Whitner and Jermale Hines ... he was an all-Ohio defender for coach Ted Ginn and the Senate Conference offensive player of the year as a senior when Glenville went 13-2 ... he was named to the U.S. Army All-American Bowl ... he also ran track and was an honor roll student ... he is the son of Tonya Ellis and Ronnie Bryant.
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