Following Ohio State’s 42-35 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Dontre Wilson was inside the Buckeyes’ locker room telling anyone and everyone he was going to play in the national championship game in his hometown of Dallas.
Wilson had been sidelined since mid-November after undergoing surgery for a broken foot — an injury he suffered in Ohio State's win over Michigan State. He had not seen game action since, but was 100 percent set on returning to the field to take on Oregon.
But as the Buckeyes went up against the Ducks on that mid-January evening, Wilson stood on the sideline and watched until the waning minutes. He finally got on the field, played a handful of snaps — two or three, according to wide receivers coach Zach Smith — but made no real impact on the game. He simply didn’t get in when the game was in its competitive stages.
“I got him in the Oregon game for I think three snaps, mainly just because I felt like he deserved to go out on the field in that game,” Smith said Tuesday as Ohio State wrapped up its ninth spring practice of 2015. “He helped get us there.”
“I feel great about it now because he got the surgery, it looks great, it’s healing great. We’re sticking to the plan so [Wilson] can be healthy by fall.”– Zach Smith
So, if Wilson said he was really healthy enough to play, if he truly could have gone, why didn't he play his usual role for the Buckeyes?
“We kind of knew going down the stretch towards the end that Dontre was probably going to need another surgery,” Smith said. “It didn’t heal great and so he was able to go, but he was one play away from re-breaking it.”
Seems like a logical decision.
Because while Wilson is no doubt a key component for Ohio State’s offense when he’s on the field, the Buckeyes really didn’t miss a beat without him. Jalin Marshall more than aptly filled the void full-time at the H-back position.
Following the season, Wilson had another surgery on his foot. It’s obviously held him out of practice this spring as he is attempting to get fully healthy before fall camp begins. If he can do that, he’s just another weapon the Buckeyes have at their disposal.
During portions of spring practice that have been open to the media, Wilson has been seen off to the side working on the exercise bike or doing skill work. No live drills, though. He’s not ready for that quite yet.
“Obviously, he can’t do anything mobily. He can’t run, he can’t run routes or anything like that, but we do a lot of ball skills,” Smith said. “Him and a lot of guys — him and Johnnie Dixon, him and James Clark, Mike Thomas — they do a lot of ball drills, ball skills development things and even when they do rehab, they’re in the underwater treadmill running and getting their cardio in. They’re not just running on the treadmill, they’re catching balls as they do it.”
It’s all part of the plan to get Wilson fully healthy for fall camp, so he can be at his best when Ohio State opens its season Sept. 7 at Virginia Tech.
He’s shown flashes of why he was so highly coveted coming out of high school during his first two seasons in Columbus, but has been hampered a bit by both inconsistency and injury. If the Buckeyes can get Wilson fully healthy, it just adds another dimension to the already dynamic offense.
Smith feels Wilson is headed in the right direction.
“I feel great about it now because he got the surgery, it looks great, it’s healing great,” he said. “We’re sticking to the plan so he can be healthy by fall.”
