Expect to see young faces on the field in abundance for the Buckeyes on Saturday.
No shortage of veterans and projected starters are listed as unavailable on Ohio State’s official status report for the Akron game, with the Buckeyes’ offensive and defensive lines being hit hardest by absences.
| OHIO STATE STATUS REPORT FOR AKRON |
|---|
| UNAVAILABLE |
|
WR KAMRYN BABB CB CAMERON BROWN RB MARCUS CROWLEY WR JULIAN FLEMING DE TYLER FRIDAY DE JAVONTAE JEAN-BAPTISTE BUL JAYLEN JOHNSON OL TREY LEROUX LB MITCHELL MELTON OL HARRY MILLER OL THAYER MUNFORD DL NOAH POTTER SAF JOSH PROCTOR OL RYAN SMITH DE TYREKE SMITH DT TARON VINCENT |
Harry Miller is out for the fourth straight game to start the year for Ohio State, leaving redshirt freshman Luke Wypler to make another start for the Buckeyes at center, and left guard Thayer Munford will not play either after leaving last week’s Tulsa game with an apparent ankle injury.
Ryan Day said this week that Munford’s injury is not long-term, and in Munford’s place against Tulsa, fourth-year guard Matt Jones stepped in and performed well enough to be the only Ohio State offensive lineman to grade out as a champion.
Larry Johnson’s defensive line has taken several hits ahead of Saturday’s Akron matchup, as starting defensive end Tyreke Smith and defensive tackle Taron Vincent will both be out, and fourth-year pass rusher Javontae Jean-Baptiste – who started in place of injured Zach Harrison last week – will not be available either. Harrison, however, is available and expected to play.
Five-star freshman defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer are likely candidates to see an increase in snaps in the absence of Smith and Jean-Baptiste, and Jacolbe Cowan, Cormontae Hamilton and Darrion Henry-Young should all get on the field at the position as well.
At tackle, true freshman Tyleik Williams was expected to shoulder more reps this week even before it was made public that Vincent would miss the Akron game, but Ty Hamilton and Jerron Cage are sure to be in the mix as well alongside Haskell Garrett and Antwuan Jackson at the top of the depth chart.
The Buckeye secondary will be without a starting cornerback, as redshirt junior Cameron Brown will miss a game for the second time this season, per the report. Brown, who tore his Achilles last October, missed the season opener with an undisclosed injury, and has worn a brace on his knee in each of the past two games for Ohio State. Brown is second only to true freshman Denzel Burke with five passes defended so far this season.
In place of Brown, senior Sevyn Banks could be in line to make his first start of the season after making his season debut against Tulsa. Banks started every game during the 2020 season, but missed the first two games in 2021 and played just 25 snaps behind Brown and Burke last week.
True freshmen corners Jordan Hancock and Jakailin Johnson could also see their first action as Buckeyes on Saturday, with the ladder having lost his black stripe in practice this past week.
Elsewhere on the Buckeye offense, running back Marcus Crowley will miss his second straight game after being carted off the field against Oregon following a blow to the head, and second-year wideout Julian Fleming is listed as unavailable as well.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud, who Day said will only play in emergency situations Saturday, was not listed on the report at all, indicating that he is available if needed. Linebacker Teradja Mitchell is also available to play this week after missing the Tulsa contest as a game-time decision.
