Ryan Day announces Ohio State RB Miyan Williams is out for the season after medical procedure
Some troubling news hit Columbus on Tuesday as Ohio State head coach Ryan Day announced that Buckeyes running back Miyan Williams will miss the remainder of the 2023 season according to Lettermen Row’s Tim May.
Williams has appeared in six games for Ohio State this season, rushing for 158 yards on 49 carries with three touchdowns. He’s been in and out of Ohio State’s lineup all season with undisclosed injury issues, missing the team’s game against Purdue and most recent matchup versus Wisconsin.
But after battling through his injury struggles, the Buckeyes’ leading rusher from a season ago will be shut down for the rest of the year after recently undergoing an undisclosed, season-ending surgery.
Williams’ health this season was reflected in his touches, only receiving a double-digit amount of carries in Ohio State’s matchup against Penn State after doing so on seven different occasions last season. Versus the Nittany Lions, Williams received 24 carries and rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown, accounting for the bulk of his production this season.
He had a career season for the Buckeyes last year notching career highs in carries, yards, and touchdowns as he rushed for 825 yards and 14 touchdowns on 128 touches, leading Ohio State in each category as their dominant force in the run game.
Williams was a part of Ohio State’s 2020 recruiting class, ranked a three-star prospect rated the No. 66 running back in the nation and the No. 20 overall player in the state of Ohio out of Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati according to On3’s Industry Ranking. And following the COVID-19 pandemic, he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining in his collegiate career.
Injuries have riddled Ohio State’s backfield all season, with TreVeyon Henderson also missing three games this season as well due to a rib injury. Henderson returned as the Buckeyes’ lead back this weekend versus the Badgers where he rushed for 162 yards and a touchdown, as he and Chip Trayanum will now likely continue to be tasked with shouldering a majority of the workload fo Ohio State’s backfield the remainder of the season.
Henderson leads the team with 457 yards and six rushing touchdowns this season, with Trayanum trailing right behind him with 270 yards and four scores on the year after appearing in every single game this season for the Buckeyes. And it will be interesting so see how their roles continue to increase in the absence of Williams.