Ohio State did not come out of its 24-23 loss to Texas on Saturday fully healthy. Starting sophomore defensive lineman Zion Grady and senior offensive tackle were unable to finish the game after suffering what Day later described as not “long-term injuries.”
Although each player is expected to return at some point, Day said on Wednesday that Grady and Daniels are unlikely to play against Kent State on Saturday.
“Those guys haven’t really practiced much this week, so we’ll have to see coming out of tomorrow how it shakes out,” Day said. “I would say it’s probably trending towards them not being available, but we’ll see how tomorrow goes.”
It’s unclear which player will fill in for Grady against the Golden Flashes, but some have wondered if Grady’s absence could pave the way for true freshman defensive end Khary Wilder to earn more playing time.
Wilder only played five snaps in the team’s loss to the Longhorns, but made his presence felt by generating some pressure on Texas quarterback Arch Manning. Wilder, a former top-60 recruit, nearly stopped Texas’ comeback dead in its tracks by pressuring Manning on a crucial fourth-and-nine play. Wilder wasn’t able to come up with the sack, and Manning completed a pass, and the Longhorns picked up the first down. Still, the true freshman flashed the potential that has many excited for what he can accomplish as a Buckeye. In two games, Wilder already has three quarterback hurries.
The Buckeyes should have a pretty straightforward solution to Daniels’ absence. Daniels has dealt with some inconsistencies to start the year, prompting Ohio State to rotate him in and out of the lineup. With Daniels off the field, Ohio State has placed senior offensive lineman Austin Siereveld at tackle and slotted junior lineman Gabe VanSickle into the rotation at guard.
Siereveld starts for the Buckeyes at guard as it is, but last year he proved to be very dependable at tackle. VanSickle, who earned plenty of playing time last year for Ohio State, has already played 70 snaps for the Buckeyes this year.
