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Scarlet Sunrise: Buckeyes OT Avery Henry starts chemotherapy for bone cancer

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom•01/13/23•

andybackstrom

Avery Henry by Birm/Lettermen Row
Ohio State offensive tackle Avery Henry was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in December. (Birm/Lettermen Row)

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Buckeyes OT Avery Henry starts chemotherapy for bone cancer

Ohio State freshman offensive tackle Avery Henry announced last month that he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that is most commonly found in teenagers and young adults.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, osteosarcoma “is a type of bone cancer that usually develops in the osteoblast cells that form bone.” Approximately 800 new cases of osteosarcoma are reported in the U.S. every year, and about half of those cases are in children and teens, per hopkinsmedicine.org.

Henry tweeted this week that he’s started chemotherapy.

“I feel great and ready,” Henry wrote his tweet. “I’m extremely thankful for the support I have received from everyone! I will always continue to fight and I ask that you guys do the same throughout your lives.”

Henry joined the team in June as a late addition to Ohio State’s 2022 class. The 6-foot-6, 309-pound offensive lineman from St. Clairsville, Ohio, was rated as a three-star prospect in the On3 Consensus. He was also rated as the No. 50 offensive tackle nationally and the No. 23 overall prospect in Ohio last cycle, according to On3.

Henry didn’t play a snap in 2022. He’ll have a chance to redshirt and still have four seasons of eligibility remaining.

“Trying to give Avery as much space as we can during this time,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said on Dec. 21. “But also know that he’s got a whole team behind him that’s gonna help him through this fight. Our culture’s built on fight.

“Like we talked about with his family, there’s a reason why you’re here. There’s a reason why you’re a Buckeye. Maybe because, along the way, you needed The James Hospital. You needed Buckeye nation. You needed this team to help you in this fight. And we’re here for you.”

Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg returning for 2023 season

Ohio State got some huge news Thursday afternoon when linebacker Tommy Eichenberg announced that he’s returning for the 2023 season, what will be his fifth year with the program. Eichenberg just piled up 77 solo tackles, the fifth most in the nation, not to mention that he ranked first on the team in TFLs (12) and, according to Pro Football Focus, third in pressures generated (23).

Eichenberg joins his roommates, tight end Cade Stover and linebacker Steele Chambers, in returning. With both Eichenberg and Chambers back in the fold, the second level of Jim Knowles’ 4-2-5 defense will remain intact for next fall.

For more on Eichenberg’s 2022 season and what he accomplished for the Buckeyes, go here.

NFL Draft decisions already shaping Buckeyes plans for next season

The Buckeyes got pretty darn close to the College Football Playoff final and, considering how TCU fared against Georgia in the national title game, probably a championship, too.

There’s a feeling of unfinished business in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and that’s reflected in the number of draft-eligible players who are running it back in Columbus.

Running back Miyan Williams, tight end Cade Stover, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, right guard Matthew Jones and wide receiver/running back Xavier Johnson are all returning for the 2023 season.

The Lettermen Row crew of Spencer Holbrook, Tim May and Andy Backstrom breaks down the NFL Draft activity surrounding the program, diving into who is sticking around and who is leaving.

Despite late push, Ohio State face plants against Minnesota

Ohio State didn’t deserve to beat Minnesota by the end of the second half. Head coach Chris Holtmann admitted that postgame. The Buckeyes nearly pulled it off, though. After scoring just two points in an eight-minute stretch earlier in the period, Ohio State climbed back into Thursday’s night home game, in large part thanks to missed free throws by a Golden Gophers team searching for its first Big Ten win of the season.

The Buckeyes actually tied the game at 67-67 with eight seconds left. But a brutal foul call on Buckeyes point guard Bruce Thornton, who contested Ta’lon Cooper at the cup and appeared to get ball, allowed Cooper to sink the game-winning free throw at the line.

To read more about the Buckeyes’ third straight loss and what Holtmann called his team’s worst offensive performance of the season, go here.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 232 days

Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 316 days

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