Ohio State will officially be without its starting strong safety against Rutgers.
Ryan Day confirmed upon Ohio State’s arrival at its hotel Friday that Lathan Ransom did not make the trip to New Jersey and will not play in Saturday’s game against the Scarlet Knights.
Ransom was injured during the fourth quarter of last weekend’s game against Wisconsin, limping off the field after suffering an apparent non-contact leg injury. Ransom was eventually able to return to the sideline after being carted back to the locker room, but Day has not provided any timeline for when Ransom might be able to return.
With Ransom out, Sonny Styles is expected to start in Ransom’s place at the bandit spot. In turn, Jordan Hancock will make his second straight start at nickel after Styles started the first seven games of the season in that spot.
Jim Knowles said Tuesday that he would be confident in both Styles and Hancock playing those roles if Ransom had to miss time.
“I think they have both proven themselves in a lot of different dimensions,” Knowles said. “So I don’t have any concerns about it.”
While Ransom will not be available, Day offered a more positive update on wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who did make the trip and is expected to return to action after missing Ohio State’s last three games with an ankle injury.
Ohio State will release its full status report of unavailable players and any players designated as questionable to play against Rutgers on Saturday morning.
