Ohio State TE Bennett Christian suspended for 2023 season after using banned substance
Ohio State will be without tight end Bennett Christian for the entire 2023 season, head coach Ryan Day announced at his press conference on Monday.
Christian has been suspended for the year after testing positive for a banned substance.
“Got some unfortunate news to share. We’re not going to have Bennett Christian this season. He tested positive for a banned supplement in January,” Day told reporters. “He feels terrible. He knows he made a mistake. Still going to practice with us. Still an important part of the team.”
Christian appeared in two games last season after signing with the Buckeyes out of Georgia.
He was ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 386 overall player in the country for the class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry rankings.
Despite Bennett Christian finding himself in trouble at the moment, Day insists that this is out of character for him.
“He’s a great young man who made a mistake. He’s got a great family, and I commend him for being transparent,” Day said. “He accepts his responsibility. He wants to share his story with everybody and with the team, which we’ll allow him to do later today so others don’t make the same mistake.”
Day added that the drug test on Christian was an NCAA test. He will be out for an entire year and also loses a year of eligibility.
Paul Finebaum shares insight on Ohio State quarterback battle
It’s no surprise that another hot topic during Ryan Day’s press conference on Monday was the Buckeyes quarterback battle.
SEC analyst Paul Finebaum recently broke down the battle and where he believes it currently stands.
He said on SportsCenter Saturday morning that he feels like Kyle McCord has a slight edge over Devin Brown in the race, and it’ll likely stay that way heading into the season. Either way, Finebaum says the Buckeyes will have a common denominator, regardless of which QB is chosen.
“I think it’s going to be Kyle McCord, although it’s very close, but I’m not sure it’s as critical as maybe we are making it out to be,” Finebaum said. “Now everyone knows the path of the last couple of years, with Dwayne Haskins and obviously Justin Fields, and you mentioned CJ Stroud, but what they are so good at, what the Buckeyes are so good at, is the wide receiver room. I mean, it’s the best in the country with Marvin Harrison Jr. and so many other targets.
“So I think McCord wins the job. They have a fairly difficult schedule in September, including Notre Dame late in the month, but I think either one is very good.”