Ohio State DE Omari Abor will miss 'a couple months' after surgery
Ryan Day was forced to give an unfortunate update on Ohio State defensive end Omari Abor on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Day, Abor underwent surgery for an undisclosed injury on Tuesday, and it’s going to be awhile before the Buckeyes see him return to the field.
“He did have a procedure,” Day said, via Andy Backstrom of Lettermen Row. “It’s going to be at least a couple months before he’s back.”
Despite the unfortunate news, Abor seems to be in good spirits at the least, as he shared on social media on Tuesday that the “surgery went good,” and that he appreciates “all the prayers from y’all.”
Moreover, Abor redshirt Abor redshirted his freshman year in Columbus after his arrival last June. Backstrom noted that a knee injury limited him to just eight snaps throughout the season, all of them against Arkansas State, according to Pro Football Focus.
Additionally, Backstrom wrote that Abor put has been gaining some weight, putting on 19 pounds between the start of last season and this year’s spring ball. He was up to 268 pounds at 6-foot-3, but he’s since dropped 10 pounds.
Ryan Day shares hopes for Ohio State’s secondary
Meanwhile,Ohio State head coach Ryan Day liked the improvement he saw from his secondary throughout spring practice, and apparently, his defensive backs have only continued to build on that foundation.
With some major losses from last year’s secondary, competition is the name of the game in Ohio State’s defensive backfield, which has been translated into their offseason workouts led by Director of Football Sport Performance Mickey Marotti.
“It’s continued into the summer, just the competitiveness,” Day said. “A lot of stuff that Mick’s been doing in the offseason is all about competition and whatever it’s been, whether it’s a shuttle or lifting weights, it’s about competition, it’s about competing.”
The Buckeyes lose safety Ronnie Hickman and cornerbacks Cameron Brown and Jakailin Johnson from last year’s team, who combined for 23 starts last year for the Buckeyes. They return breakout performers like Denzel Burke and Lathan Ransom from a season ago along with new transfer additions like Ja’Had Carter and Davison Igbinosun who respectively started and produced at Syracuse and Ole Miss.
“It’s the same thing with the DBs, it’s competing on the perimeter. Making tackles, getting their hands on balls, I mean that’s what it comes down to. And if we’re competitive, it we’re fierce out there, if we’re tough, if we’re smart, then we’ll have a chance,” Day said. “But everything we’ve seen so far is very encouraging.”
The secondary has been one of the Buckeyes’ many strengths historically, with 34 defensive backs selected in the NFL Draft out of Ohio State since 1997. And although there may be some question marks regarding their current depth chart, the high standard will likely be upheld on Ohio State’s back end as a talent group will be competing hard for playing time during fall camp in Columbus.