There are no surprises on Ohio State's status report entering its most important game to date of the season.
Ryan Day said on Wednesday that starting strong safety Lathan Ransom was "ready to go" and he's available as the Buckeyes prep to play No. 3 Penn State on the road. Left tackle Zen Michalski is out after sustaining a lower-body injury against Nebraska last week and tight end Will Kacmarek remains out with an injury he suffered at Oregon.
Freshman cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. also returns from injury to the Buckeyes' bench this Saturday.
| OSU STATUS REPORT FOR PENN STATE |
|---|
| Out |
|
RB TC Caffey (Season) TE Will Kacmarek OT Zen Michalski OT Josh Simmons (Season) WR Reis Stocksdale |
Ransom has formed one of the nation's elite safety tandems with free safety Caleb Downs when healthy this year, racking up 29 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a scoop-and-score for the Buckeyes in 2024. He missed the contest vs. the Huskers with a foot injury he sustained in practice.
Michalski was seen on the sideline in crutches against Nebraska and Day said Wednesday that it was "trending" that he'd be unavailable. He served as the replacement for Josh Simmons, who was having an All-American caliber season for the Buckeyes at left tackle before a season-ending injury at Oregon. Ohio State struggled in its first game without the former San Diego State Aztec, rushing for a meager 2.1 yards per carry.
Day's been cryptic about Ohio State's exact lineup without Michalski on the offensive line, but it will likely feature regular starting left guard Donovan Jackson at left tackle, where he played after Michalski went down last week. The two most likely options then at left guard are Carson Hinzman, last year's starting center, and Tegra Tshabola, who would flip from his usual starting right guard spot as Austin Siereveld takes his place at that position.
Starter Gee Scott Jr. ate a bigger share of tight end reps without Kacmarek in the Nebraska game, playing 44 snaps as Bennett Christian played 13 and Jelani Thurman played 10 at the position.
The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions kick off at noon on FOX with Ohio State's Big Ten title ambitions at stake.
