Buckeyes release list of unavailable players for spring practice
COLUMBUS — Ohio State opened spring practice on Tuesday, the first step in a long, championship-push period for the Buckeyes in 2024.
But not every Buckeyes player will be available for spring practice as some rehab from injuries and others sit due to lingering issues that should be cleaned up by training camp in August.
A pair of true freshmen and former four-star recruits, linebacker Payton Pierce and cornerback Bryce West, won’t be available for their first spring with the Buckeyes. The news was delivered by Day. Both first-year Ohio State defenders should be available for training camp following sitting out the spring — and maybe even the summer.
Ohio State will also be without a pair of safeties for spring practice. Veteran safety Kourt Williams has suffered numerous injuries throughout his career, notably last year to his knee. It will keep him out for all of spring practice and could extend well into the summer.
The surprise, however, came when Day revealed that second-year safety Malik Hartford will be sidelined for the spring after breaking out as a playmaker and future star last spring and into the season. Hartford should be back to bolster the Ohio State secondary this upcoming season.
On the offensive side of the ball, second-year offensive tackle Miles Walker will be out for spring football after an offseason surgery. He was seen in a sling during the Buckeyes’ Cotton Bowl prep in December, so his absence from spring ball is hardly a surprise. He is also expected back for training camp in August.
Ohio State will still have a majority of its roster aiming to get better this spring over the next 14 practice periods, up to the spring game on April 13. The Buckeyes will have one more practice this week, on Thursday, before hitting a week of spring break and then returning for the stretch run of spring practice.
Players out for Ohio State spring ball
SAF Kourt Williams
CB Bryce West
OL Miles Walker
SAF Malik Hartford
LB Payton Pierce
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