One of Ohio State’s stars against Notre Dame was safety Lathan Ransom, who did not start but played the majority of the game at the Bandit for the Buckeyes and finished with seven tackles on the night.
Ransom is being rewarded for his performance, as Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Thursday that Ransom is expected to have his first career start at Bandit against Arkansas State on Saturday.
“We still have to finish the week out and see, but (Ransom starting and safety Josh Proctor also playing) would be the plan going in,” Day said. “Let’s see what happens toward the end of the week and I’ll check with Jim (Knowles) and Perry (Eliano) and get their feedback and we’ll make the final decision as we head into Saturday.”
This will be Ransom’s first start at Bandit but his fourth overall at Ohio State. He started games last year against Minnesota, Oregon and Tulsa.
Even with Ransom expected to start, Proctor – who started at Bandit against Notre Dame but ultimately played just five snaps after giving up a 54-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage – is still expected to see the field for Ohio State.
“What I wanted to do is just calm Josh down,” Eliano said Tuesday. “And Lathan ended up playing quite a bit because he got in a rhythm. But we need both of them to do what we need to do this year.”
As the season continues, Ohio State will continue to rely on Proctor’s experience, even if it isn’t in a starting capacity.
“We’re going t need Josh,” Day said. “Josh is going to have to play for us. And he’ll play a significant amount this year, for sure.”
