Jaylen Johnson will miss freshman year at Ohio State with torn ACL
COLUMBUS — The freshman debut for Jaylen Johnson will have to wait until next year at Ohio State.
The safety from Cincinnati suffered a torn ACL during his first training camp with the Buckeyes, and he will miss the rest of the season as he starts the recovery process.
The program confirmed the injury for the three-star prospect on Wednesday, a setback just two months into his career with the Buckeyes following his summer arrival on campus.
Johnson wasn’t likely to be much of a contributor right away outside of a shot to potentially help on special teams. But dating back to some summer-camp appearances a couple years ago when his recruitment really caught the attention of the Ohio State coaching staff as a future option to play the Bullet role, Johnson has consistently impressed with his work ethic.
“[Linebackers coach Al] Washington told me one thing,” Johnson told Lettermen Row after committing early last year. “He said that I’m one of the hardest workers he’s ever seen. [Jeff] Hafley told me that too. I knew coming into that camp I was going to have to work hard, to show coaches I can run, jump and move my hips, to just play football.”
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That aggressive approach will now have to be used in rehabilitation instead of full-contact practices with the Buckeyes. At this point, it’s still too early to know the exact timeframe for Johnson to get back on the field, but it likely won’t be until spring camp at the earliest given the nature of the knee injury.
Jaylen Johnson eventually figures to get his chance to show what he can provide defensively with his versatile athleticism for the Buckeyes. But it’s going to have to wait for now.
