Massive blow for Ryan Day as Ohio State loses star defensive tackle to leg injury at first fall camp practice

Ryan Day’s Ohio State has been dealt an injury blow as the team opened its fall practice on Thursday. According to a report by Yahoo Sports’ Andy Backstrom, the Buckeyes’ defensive tackle Eddrick Houston injured his right leg late in the practice.

It is a concerning update for the Buckeyes fans who are looking forward to kicking off the season in a marquee opener against Texas. However, the seriousness of the injury is not clear yet, as no further updates have been provided. Therefore, it is unclear if he will be available for the season opener against the Longhorns.

Andy Backstrom

@andybackstrom

At OSU for the 1st practice of camp.​DT Eddrick Houston went down late in practice with an apparent right leg injury.​Up-and-down day for QB Julian Sayin, who was picked off by Davison Igbinosun but later in 11s dropped in a nice pass to WR Carnell Tate over CB Devin Sanchez.

Addressing the situation in a media chat after the practice, Ryan Day said:

“I haven’t talked to the trainers yet. We’ll go from there once we talk to them.”

With the season only weeks away, the Buckeyes fans will be wondering if Day has figured out the final piece of his offense. Day talked about the starting quarterback role after practice on Thursday.

“We’ll watch the film and kind of go from there," he said. "Day 1 without pads, it’s kind of hard (to judge).”

Day also emphasized the importance of the practice to the players.

“Guys have to stay off the ground and take care of each other, but we also have to be competitive," he said. "I say to these guys all the time, ‘If you want to be in an NFL camp, you need to learn to practice without pads on. If you’re on the ground in an NFL camp, you’re going to find yourself getting cut real fast.’”

Ryan Day’s quarterback expectations for the new season

Amidst an ongoing quarterback battle at Columbus, Ryan Day has made clear his expectation from the two top candidates, Julian Sayin and Lincoln Kienholz.

“You want command of the offense," Day said, following the team’s practice on Thursday. "When you stand in there as a quarterback, you want everyone to believe in you. You want them to follow your command.”

Sayin was a five-star recruit out of high school before transferring from Alabama to Ohio State. With the potential to become an elite quarterback, he is most notable for his excellent footwork. On the other hand, Kienholz has spent a longer time in Columbus and offers more in the air with notable arm strength.