Ohio State head coach Ryan Day confirmed Monday that linebacker Kourt Williams II will be out for the season after suffering an ACL injury during preseason practice.
Williams was entering his fourth season with the program, missing all of his freshman season with a torn ACL and appearing in only six games last season due to shoulder injuries. Through three seasons, he has played in 17 contests with 32 tackles, four tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
Williams made a position change during fall camp, making a switch from safety to a linebacker. He would have played primarily at Will linebacker, offering depth behind Steele Chambers and C.J. Hicks, and it was a move that had already received positive feedback from his coaches, though his season will end before it was able to begin.
“Kourt, he’s a guy we always felt would be better off closer to the line of scrimmage,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said last week. “We’ve debated that move for a while. In-house, he’s kind of moved back and forth. We just thought it was the right time to move him down fully. He’ll still play some Sam linebacker in our 4-3, but Kourt is a first-class young man. It’s great to have him at linebacker.”
