Ryan Day provided an update on the starting safety to reporters as the Buckeyes checked into their hotel on Friday night, revealing that Ransom did not make the trip.
Ransom suffered a non-contact injury in the fourth quarter that sidelined him for the rest of the night. Day didn’t have an update on him directly after the game and kept to that approach for most of the following week as OSU went through practice. Directly after the game, Day didn’t have much of an update on Ransom’s status but did shed some light on how long the Buckeyes could be without him.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — When Ohio State takes the field for its road game against Rutgers, don’t expect Lathan Ransom to be out there.
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.”
While the Ransom did not make the trip. There is optimism that Ohio State will get wide receiver Emeka Egbuka back, who hasn’t played since leaving a win over Maryland with a lower-body injury. Day reveled that he was available to play against the Badgers, but after going through warmups the staff decided it would be best to hold him out one more week.
After a strong week of practice, Day stated that he’s expecting Egbuka to be available against the Scarlett Knights.
“He’s here and ready to go,” Day said.
Egbuka has caught 23 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns this season.
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