There were indications that the knee injury Eddrick Houston sustained on the first day of Ohio State’s preseason camp on Thursday wasn’t anything that would hold him out long-term, but the confirmation of that fact proved nonetheless soothing for Buckeye fans on Tuesday.
Not only will Houston’s knee not keep him from starting against No. 1 Texas in Week 1, but the Buckeyes’ projected starter at three-technique defensive tackle should be a full participant in practice within the next two days.
“We think he's going to be involved with the team drills here within the next 48 hours,” Day said. “If not tomorrow, then the day after. But had another good day today. So, yeah, it's good to see him moving around. And he was limited today, but I think he'll be ready to get in these team drills pretty soon.”
Houston emerged as Ohio State’s backup to Tyleik Williams at 3-technique throughout his 2024 freshman year, despite coming to Columbus as a five-star defensive end prospect. He ended up playing the fourth-most snaps of the Buckeyes’ defensive tackles with 141, collecting seven tackles and two pass breakups.
In preparation for his starting role, Houston packed on 22 pounds of muscle this offseason. He’s ready for a key star turn on a defensive line that replaces all four starters from last year’s national championship squad.
While Houston’s return is undoubtedly a boost for the Buckeyes, his brief absence also allowed almost a week for the depth pieces behind him and starting nose guard Kayden McDonald to get more reps. The development of Will Smith Jr., Jason Moore and Tywone Malone has been a key talking point for Ohio State this offseason. Day reiterated after the first preseason practice that those players needed to “put it on the field” after some weight room gains.
“I feel like some guys have stepped up this offseason (at DT), and we're going to need them to,” Day said on Thursday. “But a big area for us to focus on coming into preseason is how well the feedback has been coming out of the weight room. You're just getting the feel for the strength gains – so much of our foundation as a program happens in the weight room. ... That’s encouraging. Now we're going to have to put it on the field, so we'll know once we get out there. But some guys have a different look in their eye, and we're going to need them to.”
That emphasis continued into Day’s Tuesday press conference, especially as Malone, Smith and Moore get more chances to mix in with the first-team defense while Houston heals up.
“They have to be able to understand that it takes a lot of work and training to get yourself ready to take on the majority of the plays, but not only take on the majority of plays, but perform,” Day said. “And so everybody's got an opportunity to do that, to be thrust into bigger roles than they had previously. And so when someone goes down in practice, it forces you to really step up in a lot of different ways.”
If the trio behind Houston and McDonald can prove they’re of starting caliber, that will mean more reps for them and fresher legs for the starting duo come the regular season. But Ohio State is happy to get Houston’s legs back in the lineup soon, regardless.
“When someone goes down in camp, other guys have to step up, and then you can take a hard look in the mirror to figure out, ‘OK, what do I need to do to be at starter level,’” Day said. “Because if you get to be at starter level, we'll play you, whether it's in the rotation, defensive line or another position. But you have to earn those opportunities. And so the more opportunities these guys have to step into those roles, they've got to take advantage of them.”
