Ohio State’s Defensive Star Faces Frightening Moment—Could This Sideline SCARE Change the Season?

Could Ohio State football pull off a repeat national championship run despite the usual summer chaos? Well, the Buckeyes just lucked out big time with a scare over defensive tackle Eddrick Houston’s injury—turns out, he’s on track to be back on the field any day now. Given Houston’s solid seven-tackle season last year, his swift return could be a game-changer for Ryan Day’s defense as they gear up for their rematch against Texas on August 30. With fresh faces and a new defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, stepping into the spotlight, all eyes are glued to see if Ohio State can maintain their playoff pedigree or if these early setbacks will slow their momentum. The question isn’t just if they’ll compete—but can they repeat? LEARN MORE.

Ohio State football hopes to win another national championship this coming season. The Buckeyes dodged a bullet during summer practices, after it was revealed a key defensive player’s injury was not serious. Eddrick Houston is expected to return to the team soon, per 247 Sports.

“Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said today that the defensive tackle should be back in team drill “within the next 48 hours,”‘ Patrick Murphy posted to X, formerly Twitter.

Houston got hurt in a recent team practice. He had to be helped off the field and couldn’t put weight on his right leg. Houston was seen wearing a brace on the sidelines after that incident.

Houston’s return is good news for Day and the Ohio State defense. The defensive star posted seven tackles last season for the team, and is seen as a major contributor for the defensive line this campaign.

“We think he’s going to be involved with the team drills here within the next 48 hours,” Day said, per the outlet. “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.”

Ohio State starts their season on August 30 against Texas, in a rematch from one of last year’s College Football Playoff games.

Ohio State football hopes to make the College Football Playoff once again

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. — © Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Ohio State football had a deeply memorable 2024 campaign. The Buckeyes weren’t able to win the Big Ten, but earned a bid to the CFP and went on a powerful run. The Buckeyes won their first national championship under head coach Ryan Day.

Day has a lot of new faces to work with in 2025, but expectations remain high for another run to the playoff. Ohio State lost a number of players to the NFL Draft, including quarterback Will Howard. The Buckeyes also lost some coaches, including former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.

The program’s new defensive coordinator is Matt Patricia. Patricia will certainly rely on Houston and others to help the Buckeyes maintain such an elite defense. The defensive coach likes where his team is at currently.

“It was great the last couple weeks of the summer program, the OTAs. We kind of got a head start, so we were able to go through some of the install preview so that when we came out today, yesterday and today, that they’re kind of familiar with some of that stuff,” Patricia said, per 247 Sports. “So the communication’s been good.”

Ohio State football fans are excited to see what this squad can do.

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