BOOM
Four-star safety Eli Johnson, the No. 110 overall prospect in the 2027 class, commits to Ohio State.
Ohio State could be without both of its top two receivers tonight.
Carnell Tate has been ruled out for Saturday night’s game vs. UCLA and will not play against the Bruins after also missing last week’s game against Purdue. Jeremiah Smith was listed as questionable on Ohio State’s pregame injury report but participated in first-team reps during warmups.
| OSU STATUS REPORT FOR UCLA |
|---|
| Questionable |
|
RB CJ Donaldson WR Jeremiah Smith |
| Out |
|
DT Jarquez Carter DE Logan George S Malik Hartford WR De'zie Jones QB Mason Maggs DT Eric Mensah OG Joshua Padilla DT Maxwell Roy WR Carnell Tate DT Ahmed Tounkara |
Tate was not listed on Ohio State’s pregame status report for the Purdue game, but was held out of the game for precautionary reasons after experiencing lower-leg tightness during warmups. Ryan Day said after the game that Tate “probably” could have played, but the Buckeyes “wanted to be really careful.”
It’s unclear what injury Smith has been dealing with entering Saturday, as he played the entire game against Purdue and caught a career-high 10 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.
With Tate out and Smith managing his ailment, Ohio State will rely on Brandon Inniss, Bryson Rodgers, Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter to be key contributors against UCLA. None of them has over 180 receiving yards this season, though the injuries at wideout could also open up more pass-catching opportunities for Max Klare and the rest of Ohio State’s tight ends.
Fortunately for the Buckeyes, they should be able to beat the Bruins regardless of Tate and Smith's statuses. Ohio State is favored to win the game by 34.5 points, and starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava is out for the Bruins.
Other notable players on Ohio State’s injury report for Saturday night include rotational guard Joshua Padilla, who’s out for the second game in a row with an injury he suffered against Penn State, and running back CJ Donaldson, who’s listed as questionable.
Starting right tackle Phillip Daniels, who did not play against Purdue, is not listed on the pregame injury report after he was listed as questionable for the trip to West Lafayette. Defensive tackle Tywone Malone Jr. is also not listed on the status report after he did not play against Purdue, though he wasn’t listed on the injury report for that game either. Porter is not listed on the status report after he was listed as questionable and did not play against Purdue.
Ohio State vs. UCLA kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium and will be televised by NBC.
