Ryan Day comments on Avery Henry's cancer diagnosis

 Ohio State offensive tackle Avery Henry announced Monday that he had recently been diagnosed with osteosarcoma, which is a form of bone cancer. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day addressed the devastating news during his press conference on National Signing Day.

“Very difficult time for everybody here,” Day said. “Trying to give Avery as much space as we can during this time, but also know that he’s got a whole team behind him that’s gonna help him through this fight. Our culture is built on fight and he’s in for a fight. This came out of nowhere for him and his life got rocked.”

Henry, a true freshman out of Saint Clairville (OH), elected to redshirt this season. In high school, Henry was named to the Division Four All-state team by the Ohio prep sportswriters association. This followed a season where he helped Saint Clairsville make it to the regional finals with a 13-2 record. Now, his football career has been put on hold – a reminder of how life can change from one moment to the next.

“I told the guys after it happened, ‘Things like this give you perspective in life too.’ And this is the reason why you get into coaching is to have an impact on young people and help Avery fight this battle,” Day said. “But like we talked about with his family, ‘There’s a reason why you’re here, there’s a reason why you’re a Buckeye and maybe because along the way, you needed the James hospital, you need Buckeye nation, you need this team to help you in this fight, and we’re here for you.'”

As of Wednesday, the plan is to have Henry be with the team for the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve, where the Buckeyes will take on No. 1 Georgia in their own backyard. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET live from Atlanta on ESPN.