Injury to Projected Starter Puts Spotlight on Ohio State’s Thinnest Position Group Ahead of Crucial 2025 Football Season
Ohio State is no stranger to adversity, especially when it comes to navigating the trials of a college football season. With a program steeped in tradition, expectations, and pressure, any slight crack in the armor tends to draw national attention. As the Buckeyes look ahead to the 2025 season with College Football Playoff ambitions, they’ve hit an early snag — and it’s at the position group where they could least afford it.
A projected starter is already dealing with an injury at a position where the Buckeyes’ depth was already under scrutiny. While injuries are part of the game, the timing and location of this particular setback could have long-lasting effects if it lingers into the season. Ohio State is entering fall camp with legitimate questions at this spot, and with a title-contending roster in all other areas, it’s a glaring concern that could derail the Buckeyes’ goals if not handled carefully.
Unlike some other elite programs that rotate stars at every position, Ohio State’s situation at this group — which, for the sake of context, has seen more turnover than most in recent years — is precarious. Whether due to the NFL Draft, transfers, or recruiting misses, the pipeline that once flowed steadily now appears fragile. And now, with a likely Week 1 starter nursing an injury, the Buckeyes are already facing the pressure of reshuffling the deck and possibly accelerating the development timeline of younger players.
Coaches often preach “next man up,” but there’s a difference between motivational rhetoric and the reality of asking an inexperienced player to step into one of the most critical roles on the team. The injury in question reportedly isn’t season-ending, but any missed time in August is magnified, especially when chemistry, scheme installation, and game-speed reps are on the line. It’s during these early practices that players earn coaches’ trust — or don’t — and carve out their role for the fall. Losing that window can set even talented veterans back in the pecking order.
And for a team like Ohio State, where the margin for error is razor-thin, the implications go beyond Week 1. The Buckeyes open the season with a manageable non-conference schedule, but the real tests come later — games against Iowa, Penn State, and of course, Michigan — all of which could be decided in the trenches or by individual matchups where depth is critical. If the injured starter isn’t fully healthy by conference play, or if the backup plan doesn’t develop fast enough, those games become exponentially more difficult.
There’s also a psychological aspect. Players know when a room is thin. They feel the weight of having to stay healthy, not miss assignments, and play every snap at peak performance because there’s no safety net. That kind of pressure isn’t ideal for a unit trying to find its identity. And for a coaching staff that’s under significant pressure themselves — especially after three straight losses to Michigan — this kind of vulnerability is the last thing they wanted in camp.
To understand the current concern, it helps to look at how Ohio State got here. Over the past few recruiting cycles, this position hasn’t yielded the same return on investment as others. Five-star prospects have either transferred out, failed to develop, or dealt with persistent injuries. Mid-tier recruits who were expected to be solid rotational pieces have also struggled to make a meaningful impact. The result is a room that, while top-heavy, lacks the sturdy middle and bottom that championship teams rely on.
Spring ball revealed glimpses of promise but also showed the stark contrast between the starters and their backups. Coaches were candid about the need for more competition and even hinted at possible portal activity, though that never materialized. Whether that was a miscalculation, a recruiting miss, or simply bad luck, it leaves the Buckeyes in a vulnerable place now.
What’s worse, the injured player was one of the few reliable veterans on the roster, someone who had shown flashes of high-level play and appeared poised to finally take control of the position. His absence, even temporarily, forces the staff to evaluate younger players who may not be physically or mentally ready to step into such a prominent role. While talent isn’t lacking — this is Ohio State, after all — experience, durability, and positional awareness can’t be rushed. And when you’re going up against elite competition every week, those intangible qualities often separate a good player from a great one.
In past seasons, Ohio State has overcome similar issues with remarkable success, thanks largely to their overwhelming depth and elite-level quarterback play. But this year’s team is built differently. It’s defense-heavy, gritty, and more reliant on balance. The days of simply outscoring everyone 45–38 might be gone. This roster, and the way the coaching staff wants to play, is built to control the line of scrimmage, dominate time of possession, and wear opponents down. To do that, you need depth — especially at the very position where it’s now compromised.
The timing of this injury also complicates the coaching staff’s ability to scheme effectively. Without knowing the exact timetable for recovery, game plans must remain fluid. Do they prepare the younger guys as if they’re going to start? Do they simplify the playbook to compensate for inexperience? Do they consider moving players from other positions or formations to mask the deficiency? None of those options are ideal, and all of them carry risk.
This kind of issue also tests locker room leadership. Veterans in other units need to step up — not just vocally but with their actions. If the younger players at this position see a united, focused locker room, they’ll be more likely to buy in and play with confidence. But if the stress fractures start to appear — if the team begins to lose faith in the depth, or if mistakes become contagious — things could spiral quickly. One breakdown at a key position can ripple across the field, turning an elite defense into a vulnerable one or a balanced offense into a one-dimensional attack.
Ultimately, this injury doesn’t end Ohio State’s season before it starts. There’s still time. But it does put the microscope on a group that was already one of the most scrutinized on the roster. Every practice rep, every scrimmage, and every piece of news out of camp now has a little more weight. Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see how the Buckeyes respond.
Will someone unexpected rise to the occasion? Will the coaches find creative solutions to patch the depth issue? Or will this be the Achilles heel that costs them when it matters most?
If there’s a silver lining, it’s that adversity often reveals character. Ohio State has plenty of it — both in its players and on its staff. This is a program that reloads, not rebuilds. But even the best teams need a little luck, and right now, the injury bug is testing that resolve earlier than expected.
There’s no guarantee the situation improves quickly. But with the kind of high-stakes schedule that awaits — and the internal pressure of getting back to the top of the Big Ten — the Buckeyes don’t have the luxury of time. Every day without their starter at this critical position is a day closer to the season opener, and every missed snap in practice is one more piece of evidence that depth could become destiny.
The coming weeks will define how well this team handles its first true test — one that came not from an opponent, but from within.
