Scarlet Sunrise: After missing time in spring, Buckeyes starting linebackers healthy again

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After missing time in spring, Buckeyes starting linebackers healthy again

Since going down with turf toe during the spring season, Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers said he’s grown his biceps another half inch in the weight room and seen “Oppenheimer,” which he ranked as his second-favorite Christopher Nolan film, behind only “Interstellar.”

A lot happened in between those things, but Chambers has come out the other side at full strength, is gearing up for his third season at linebacker and is expected to once again start alongside roommate and second-team All-American Tommy Eichenberg.

“I feel great, dangerous,” Chambers said Thursday. “It’s just nice being able to get back out there and just run around with the boys.”

Chambers said that the Buckeyes’ staff was reeling him in a bit for most of the summer, making sure he didn’t overextend himself. He admitted it was for the best because now he’s at 100%.

So is Eichenberg, who missed all of spring ball while completing his rehab, following a battle-tested but impressive 2022 season. Eichenberg was the torch bearer for the Jim Knowles defense, ranking fifth nationally with 77 solo tackles despite playing with a pair of injured hands down the stretch.

“I honestly didn’t really think about it much,” Eichenberg said Thursday, when asked about how he played through the pain. “When you’ve got a purpose to play for, you play for the team. You don’t think about yourself. 

“You go out there no matter what. I love playing with those guys out there.”

Chambers and Eichenberg both decided to run things back this offseason after Ohio State’s heartbreaking loss to Georgia in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal last year.

Chambers is happy to be lining up next to his good friend and second level partner-in-crime again.

“It’s awesome,” Chambers said. “[Tommy’s] like a barbarian out there commanding the troops. He’s just a great guy to have around. It’s great being able to see him back out there doing what he loves.”

Knowles added: “It’s great to have Tommy back. He’s our leader. He’s the type of guy that I that I can yell at, and he’ll yell back at me. So I mean, that’s the kind of relationship you want. You want guys who are convicted. And if they believe something, you can have an exchange. And that’s Tommy because he’s passionate. He cares. He never wants to make a mistake. So when you have guys like that, you got a good chance.”

Ohio State safety target KJ Bolden commits to Florida State

Ohio State lost out on another critical defensive recruiting battle this cycle Saturday.

Five-star Buford (Ga.) safety KJ Bolden — the No. 1 safety and No. 8 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking — committed to Florida State.

Bolden’s recruitment was a bit of a roller coaster, and it culminated in him choosing the Seminoles over the likes of Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and, of course, Ohio State.

“I committed to Florida State for multiple reasons,” Bolden told On3. “Florida State has been my dream school since I was growing up. Since I was a kid, I always wanted to go there. I also really like what Coach Mike Norvell is doing with the program.”

For more details, head on over here.

RELATED

• With KJ Bolden committed elsewhere, it’s more of the same for Ohio State on recruiting trail

‘There’s talent everywhere’: Ohio State RB depth byproduct of loyalty, circumstance

Ohio State returned all five of its scholarship running backs this offseason. Four led the team in rushing at least one game last season. The lone exception is redshirt sophomore Evan Pryor, who suffered a season-ending patellar tendon tear in the preseason and missed all of 2022. But they’re all back, including Pryor.

Not only is Pryor healthy again, but so are TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams — the Buckeyes’ top performers on the ground in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Henderson and Williams dealt with their own injury issues last season, with the former missing four of the final five games because of a fracture to a sesamoid bone in his foot that he sustained in Week 3 and could no longer play on.

Factor in Dallan Hayden and Chip Trayanum, both of whom unexpectedly delivered in big moments for the Buckeyes’ backfield last year, and running backs coach Tony Alford has a position group that he believes, from top to bottom, is the deepest he’s had.

For more on the Ohio State running back depth and what it means, go here.

Counting down

Buckeyes vs. Indiana: 27 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 112 days

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