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Ryan Day provides injury updates after Student Appreciation Day

IMG_7408by:Andy Backstrom•04/01/23•

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Ja'Had Carter by Matt Parker -- Lettermen Row --
Ohio State safety Ja'Had Carter talks to the media after spring practice. (Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has to replace three starting offensive linemen and two starting safeties this offseason. Injury concerns surrounded both of those position groups Saturday.

During the team third down period of the program’s Student Appreciation Day, the eighth practice of spring ball, Ohio State safety Ja’Had Carter went down with what appeared to be a right knee injury. He had to be helped off the Woody Hayes Athletic Center field by the medical staff and into the locker room.

Carter was back out there stretching after practice, but the status of the Syracuse transfer will have to be monitored going forward.

“The first thing you ask is, ‘How stable’s that knee?'” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said of Carter’s injury. ” We got good information back. We’ll have to get it evaluated. But you hold your breath because you just don’t know how stable that knee [is] anytime you’re dealing with a knee — it felt like it was.”

Day continued: “We’ll get it evaluated for sure. Make sure that we cross every ‘T’ on this thing and dot every ‘I.” But, yeah, you hold your breath in moments like this. And it’s one of those things. That play was in 7-on-7. So we try to have as many controlled situations as possible. But we also gotta play the game. So it’s that back and forth you go to. But Ja’Had’s had a really good spring, and hopefully we can get him back here soon.”

The Buckeyes’ defensive staff believes Carter can play at all three safety positions in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ 4-2-5 system, but Carter has been taking a good number of snaps at nickel, where he is in the mix with Cam Martinez to replace NFL hopeful Tanner McCalister.

As for the offensive line, Zen Michalski, who has been competing for the starting right tackle spot, wasn’t participating Saturday.

“We don’t see that being a long-term issue,” Day said of Michalski after practice. “So hope to get him out here again before the end of spring.”

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound Michalski is in his third year with the program. He and second-year lineman Tegra Tshabola have been taking turns at right tackle with the ones this spring. Michalski was a reserve left tackle last season, while Tshabola was a reserve right guard.

The good news for the Buckeyes is that Day is optimistic about the stability of Carter’s knee and Michalski’s timeline.

Additionally, third-year running back TreVeyon Henderson was back participating in individual drills. Henderson was sidelined for the College Football Playoff after having surgery at the end of 2022 to repair his lingering foot injury that he was dealing with since the Toledo game on September 17.

“Man, it was great to see,” Day said. “Great to see Tre out there in individual drills today. Great to see him moving around again. You can start to see that energy and that look in his eye. He’s been dying to get out here. So that was a great sign today to see him out there.”

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