Day Expects Ohio State At Full Strength Against Notre Dame

Despite some injury concerns throughout fall camp – including the loss of running back Evan Pryor and several banged up cornerbacks – Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is confident that his team will be at full strength on Sept. 3 against Notre Dame.

“I feel like we’re going to be at full strength going into that first game. The majority of those guys had good springs, and a couple of guys missed a couple of things here but that’s kind of training camp,” he said on Monday. “The goal is to have everybody there and be full-strength going into next week. We have a full week of practice next week but this week is gonna be a good one too and we’re in decent shape.”

Half of Ohio State’s six scholarship cornerbacks have been on the mend at one point or another during fall camp, with sophomores Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock, as well as graduate Cameron Brown, all missing time or participating in limited drills.

Wide receiver Kamryn Babb also suffered a setback within the last couple of weeks, though he should return at some point in the regular season. Otherwise, the Buckeyes are working with a mostly full roster.

“We had a good practice today coming out of the weekend,” Day said. “The goal is to be at full force heading into next week’s practice and overall, yeah, we feel good about it.”

With several cornerbacks ailing – though none are expected to be long-term concerns – it’s provided an opportunity for the younger players to step up, including sophomore J.K. Johnson and freshman Jyaire Brown, who have stood out in fall camp.

“They have (stepped up),” Day said. “I think both of those guys have practiced their tail off. And they’re going every day up against Marvin (Harrison Jr.), Jaxson (Smith-Njigba), Emeka (Egbuka) and Julian (Fleming), so I give them a lot of credit. I mean, they’re out there every day and they’ve gotten better, both of those guys.”