Tyleik Williams injury update: Ryan Day shares latest after Ohio State DT leaves Penn State game
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ohio State senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams left a 20-13 win over No. 3 Penn State midway through the fourth quarter.
Williams appeared to take an awkward fall backward after being blocked on a 2nd-and-6 run from Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen that Buckeyes “nickel” cornerback Jordan Hancock quickly snuffed out.
The 6-foot-3, 237-pound Williams had to be helped off the field by Ohio State medical staff. He didn’t return to the game, but his defensive line stepped up in his absence, notably coming up with stop after stop on a goal line stand just minutes later.
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day had positive news about his starting 3-technique defensive tackle when he met with the media postgame.
“He was fine,” Day told reporters after wrapping up his presser. “I just grabbed him outside. He said he was fine.”
Williams was dealing with an ankle issue when he left the game, according to Day.
The Manassas, Virginia, native missed two games earlier this season with an undisclosed injury: a Week 4 matchup versus Marshall and a Week 5 game at Michigan State — that said, he was available in an emergency role against the Spartans.
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He came into Saturday’s top-four showdown at Penn State with 214 defensive snaps under his belt this season, per Pro Football Focus, which also had him down for seven pressures and 10 run defense tackles, the latter being good for seventh on the team, according to PFF. Williams had 20 total tackles on the year coming into Happy Valley, including 2.5 sacks.
He added one more tackle versus the Nittany Lions.
Williams is one of the 11 draft-eligible and starter-level players who put his NFL dreams on pause and returned to Ohio State for the 2024 season.
In 2023, Williams mounted 54 total tackles — he combined for 37 his first two years at Ohio State — not to mention his 10 tackles for loss, three sacks and five passes defended, plus a fumble recovery for a touchdown he recorded against Western Kentucky. Maybe most importantly, Williams upped his snap count significantly, playing 645 defensive snaps last season, according to PFF. He had notched 251 and 183 defensive snaps in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
Williams is a key piece of the Ohio State defensive line.
Luckily for the Buckeyes, it sounds like he’s just fine after his fourth quarter scare at Penn State.
