Eddrick Houston injury update: Major news emerges on severity for Ohio State DT

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, an injury sustained by Eddrick Houston in practice on Thursday is “not considered serious.” The Ohio State defensive tackle is slated to be a huge piece for the Buckeyes during the 2025 season and would have been a major loss.

Instead, positive news appears to be coming. A huge sigh of relief coming from Columbus at the beginning of preseason camp.

“Sources: The lower body injury sustained in practice earlier today by Ohio State projected starting DT Eddrick Houston does not look like a long-term injury,” Thamel said via X. “The early results are that it’s not considered serious.”

Houston was a major recruiting win for Ohio State at the time. Buford (GA) is where Houston played his high school football and he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 33 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The likes of Alabama, Clemson, and Georgia tried hard to keep Houston in the South. Instead, he made his way up to Columbus to play for the Buckeyes. A move that’s, so far, paid off for him.

Houston played in 12 games last season for Ohio State. Three of them came in the College Football Playoff, getting time against Tennessee, Oregon, and Notre Dame in the national championship game. The lone postseason game where Houston was not on the field was vs. Texas.

From a production standpoint, the overall numbers do not stand out. Houston recorded just seven tackles throughout the year. A season-high three came against Purdue. Maybe the most encouraging of them all — two were in the final game of the year, contributing toward Ohio State hoisting the CFP trophy.

Now, a bigger role is coming for Houston if the injury is, in fact, not too serious. Both of the Buckeyes’ main defensive tackles heard their name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. Snaps are going to be available moving forward.

Official diagnosis has yet to come. Best-case scenario, Ohio State is hoping to get Houston back before the season opener. An important one is taking place inside The Shoe, as Texas comes to town for the first time since 2005. While preseason polls are not yet out, it’s easy to assume we might have a top-five matchup on our hands. Having a player such as Houston available will be critical.