Ohio State will be without one of its freshmen this fall.
Safety Jaylen Johnson will miss the 2021 season after suffering a torn ACL, Lettermen Row reported. A program spokesman told Eleven Warriors he could not confirm the injury.
Johnson was spotted, along with Kamryn Babb and Jaden McKenzie, on the adjacent field during Tuesday's practice where injured players typically work with trainers. He wasn't a participant in any of the practice that the media watched.
The knee injury will prevent Johnson from debuting as a Buckeye until the 2022 season. He's projected to either play bullet for Ohio State once he gets healthy, telling Eleven Warriors this summer that he can play "in the secondary" and "in the box." He had been set for reserve duty as a true freshman, appearing to be behind Ronnie Hickman, Craig Young and Kourt Williams on the depth chart to begin his career. He had gotten to Columbus this summer.
Johnson, a Cincinnati native who graduated from La Salle, came to Ohio State as the No. 414 overall prospect in his cycle. He played a key role in putting together the program's 2021 recruiting class, becoming an active participant in recruiting many of the other current true freshmen on the Buckeyes' roster.
