Three of Ohio State’s star defenders who are dealing with injuries will be on the practice field Tuesday, but one of them will not be.
Ryan Day said Tuesday that cornerback Denzel Burke, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and safety Josh Proctor are all expected to have a full week of practice. Burke missed last week’s game against Rutgers due to an undisclosed injury while Eichenberg suffered an arm injury in the fourth quarter and Proctor took a shot to the head in the third quarter against the Scarlet Knights.
Safety Lathan Ransom, on the other hand, has not yet been cleared to return to practice, though Day said he will continue to be evaluated with hopes that he can return to practice later in the week.
Asked about Eichenberg, Day noted there are a lot of players who have to battle through injuries at this stage of the season and that he expects Eichenberg to have a “pretty good week of work” in preparation to play against Michigan State on Saturday. Jim Knowles gave a more open-ended response when asked about Eichenberg, however, saying he knows Eichenberg will want to play this week – “he’d play with one arm if he had to” – but that the athletic training staff will make the decision on whether he should play.
Asked about Proctor, who was not diagnosed with a concussion and was healthy enough to meet with the media after the game, Day said he should be “ready to roll” this week.
Asked whether he thought Burke and Ransom would be available to play this week after missing last week’s game, Day said he did not know.
Burke and Ransom were two of three starters who missed last week’s game against Rutgers along with tight end Cade Stover, though Stover was deemed healthy enough to play if needed. Day said after the Rutgers game that he expected Stover to return to action against Michigan State.
Day said he also expects backup quarterback Devin Brown to have a full week of practice this week after practicing in a limited capacity last week. Brown was available to play against Rutgers even though he didn’t play, Day said, but Day expects Brown to be closer to 100 percent this week.
