Cameron Heyward might be the world's biggest domino.


After the Ohio State defensive lineman told his teammates he was planning to return for his senior season, two other key junior defenders decided to follow suit.

Linebacker Ross Homan and cornerback Chimdi Chekwa said yesterday that Heyward's return played a factor in their decisions.

"A big role," Chekwa said. "Defensive linemen are probably a cornerback's best friend. They get pressure on the quarterback, and I think our D-line is going to be great next year. Our linebackers are going to be good, so it was a big part of my situation."

Homan called Heyward "a huge, huge asset to us to come back. As soon as I talked to him and he said he was coming back, I was all for that. Cam has an ability to take over a game himself."

So that means six starters will return from a unit that ranked fifth nationally in total defense this season (262.3 yards a game) and sixth in scoring defense (12.5 points).

Defensive coordinator Jim Heacock returned from visiting a prospect and wondered whether he could have saved himself the trouble and just stayed home.

"(The news) was like a good day of recruiting, to get three guys back who have played so much for us," he said. "Obviously, it makes us feel good."

Heyward's return was the most crucial. Ohio State was going to lose four players out of its nine-man defensive line rotation -- starters Doug Worthington and Thaddeus Gibson (the only junior to leave early), plus part-time starter Todd Denlinger and reserve Rob Rose.

Had Heyward gone, the experience level would have dramatically dropped and likely had a ripple effect on the entire defense.

Heyward might have been the most underrated player in the Big Ten this season, when he recorded 10 tackles for loss and led Ohio State with 6 1/2 sacks. At 6 feet 6 and 287 pounds, he is strong enough to play tackle but has developed the quickness to pursue ball carriers sideline-to-sideline from the end position.

"I still think his upside is huge," Heacock said. "Cam is going to work in the offseason to be a better football player next year than he was this year. It means a lot to him."

Homan was the team's leading tackler, with 108, and tied for the team lead in interceptions with five. He said the NFL advisory committee for underclassmen told him he would be a third-round pick in the draft, but he knows how fickle the process can be.

"Sometimes guys get that projection and fall to the seventh (round), and sometimes you go higher, so you can't really rely on that," he said.

Chekwa said his projection came back as a middle-round pick. His decision to return means Ohio State will have both starting corners returning, which is important considering that both starting safeties must be replaced.

The 2009 defense lacked stars but made up for it with depth. It might have been the fastest defensive unit Ohio State has had, and as a whole, the Buckeyes played smart and missed fewer tackles and assignments than in recent years.

With more than half of the starters returning, Chekwa said, "I think we expect to be one of the top-five defenses in the country every year, and I think next year we have a great chance to do that."