Ohio State center Carson Hinzman misses practice with 'illness'

As Ohio State broke for fall camp on Thursday morning, the team was without one key piece, with center Carson Hinzman missing the action.

Coach Ryan Day explained why his starting center was absent in a press conference with reporters following the practice.

“He wasn’t here today because of an illness,” Day said. “Yeah, we held him. Came in, checked in, but wasn’t feeling right so trainers decided to hold him today. We expect him to be back out tomorrow.”

Carson Hinzman is a key piece for Ohio State on offense, where there’s a considerable amount of turnover this offseason for the Buckeyes. Hinzman is in his third season with the team, a member of the program’s 2022 recruiting class.

He redshirted during the 2022 season as a true freshman, then won the starting job at center for the 2023 campaign. He started all 12 regular-season games for the Buckeyes.

Carson Hinzman recorded 773 snaps from scrimmage, ranking fifth among the offensive linemen on the team.

Ryan Day praises freshman Jeremiah Smith

While Carson Hinzman missed Thursday’s practice, five-star freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith did not. And it didn’t take long for him to impress.

Smith immediately earned some praise from Day for his dedication throughout the offseason.

“I don’t want to put too much out there, but he had a great offseason,” Day said on Thursday after the first practice of fall camp. “Did some thing that some freshmen haven’t done before in terms of recognition and some of the hard work he’s put in. You talk about the humility of a young man who’s as talented as he is, that’s special.”

As a recruit, Smith was ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation in the 2024 recruiting class. He was the No. 1 receiver in the class and the No. 1 overall player in the state of Florida, hailing from Hollywood (FL) Chaminade-Madonna Prep.