Ohio State will be without one key offensive starter and one key defensive starter when it plays Akron on Saturday.
Middle linebacker Cody Simon and left guard Donovan Jackson, veterans at their positions, are out against the Zips, per the Buckeyes' status report.
| OSU STATUS REPORT FOR AKRON |
|---|
| Out |
|
OL Devontae Armstrong S Jayden Bonsu DL Cade Casto RB TC Caffey (Season) OG Donovan Jackson LB Cody Simon WR Reis Stocksdale |
Ohio State should still have plenty of firepower to outgun Akron, a MAC team that finished 2-10 last year, but the Buckeyes will certainly be hoping for a clean bill of health moving forward from the two on- and off-field leaders.
Backup safety Jayden Bonsu is also among the players out. TC Caffey, who was in contention with freshmen James Peoples and Sam Williams-Dixon to be Ohio State's third-string running back, is out for the season with a knee injury.
Jackson is entering his third year as the Buckeyes' left guard, and his absence will break a streak of 26 consecutive games he's started. He's a two-time first-team All-Big Ten performer at the position.
He and the rest of Ohio State's offensive line are eager to improve on their performance from last season, but before the starting five is tested together, the team's guard depth will get a challenge. With Tegra Tshabola set to start at right guard, redshirt sophomore Carson Hinzman – last year’s starting center – could be in line to start at left guard in Jackson's place after battling with Tshabola for the starting RG job. Redshirt freshman Austin Siereveld, who took some first-team reps at left guard during preseason practices that were open to the media, could also be a contender for playing time.
Simon is the backbone of the Buckeyes' defense, its signal-caller at the Mike linebacker position. Off a 57-tackle season despite starting only five games, he was the top vote-getter to be a team captain and Ohio State's "Block O" Jersey recipient for 2024, and he is expected to wear the “green dot” helmet when he’s on the field this season as the defensive player who signals in play calls from Jim Knowles.
Redshirt sophomore Gabe Powers seemed to be the clear candidate to fill in for Simon in the spring, but sophomore Arvell Reese made a push to be Simon's backup throughout preseason camp. The Buckeyes could also move Sonny Styles to Mike linebacker, which would open up the Will linebacker spot for C.J. Hicks to make his first career start, as Knowles said this week that moving Styles to Mike for some plays to get Hicks on the field more was in consideration.
“I consider C.J. a (first-team player). So you could see the combination there; you could see Sonny playing Mike and C.J. playing Will and Cody taking a rest,” Knowles said.
Ohio State kicks off its season against Akron at 3:30 p.m. CBS will broadcast the affair.
