Ohio State will be missing a key member of its secondary against Rutgers.
PISCATAWAY, NJ – Don’t anticipate Lathan Ransom to be on the field for Ohio State’s road game against Rutgers.
As the Buckeyes checked into their hotel on Friday night, Ryan Day gave reporters an update on the starting defense, saying that Ransom did not make the trip.
Ransom received a non-contact injury in the fourth quarter that forced him to leave the game. Day did not have an update on him immediately following the game, and he maintained that stance for the majority of the next week while OSU went through practice. Day didn’t have much to say about Ransom’s situation immediately following the game, but he did give some insight on how long the Buckeyes could be without him.
This is not the first time Ransom has suffered a significant injury during his college career. He left the Rose Bowl win over Utah to close out the 2021 season with a broken leg that sidelined him for the entirety of the offseason. He then quickly found himself on the field replacing Josh Proctor in a win over Notre Dame and used that opportunity to have a breakout season.
He’s built on that success through eight games this year.
Serving as the starting bandit (strong safety) Ransom has recorded 34 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble. His potential absence opens the door for OSU to experiment with different personnel in the back en,d most notably the idea of playing Jordan Hancock and Sonny Styles together instead of having them share the nickel spot.
“They’ve both proven themselves in a lot of different dimensions,” the defensive coordinator said of Hancock and Styles on Tuesday. “I don’t have any concerns about it.”
The Ransom did not make the journey. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who hasn’t played since leaving a win over Maryland with a lower-body injury, is expected to return. Day revealed that he was available to play against the Badgers, but after going through warmups, the coaching staff determined that he should be held out for another week.
Day mentioned that he expects Egbuka to be available against the Scarlett Knights after a great week of practice.
“He’s here and ready to go,” said Day.
This season, Egbuka has caught 23 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns.
