At least two of Ohio State's unavailable players from the Michigan State game are back at practice: Linebacker Tuf Borland and safety Josh Proctor, who were both pictured in practice photos posted on Ohio State's official Twitter account.
The preparation starts now.#GoBuckeyes #Fight pic.twitter.com/vlnxIjz2Km
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 9, 2020
That doesn't necessarily mean they would have been available to play against Michigan, as players who tested positive for COVID-19 – though Ohio State has not confirmed if that was why they were unavailable – are able to return to practice after 14 days, even though they aren't able to play for 21 days, per Big Ten protocol.
That said, any player who tested positive before Ohio State's scheduled road trip to Illinois will complete the 21-day return-to-play period before next week's Big Ten Championship Game and should be available to play against Northwestern.
The photos above also confirmed that head coach Ryan Day and quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis are back at practice after they were also unavailable to make the trip to Michigan State.
