'Crushed, Destroyed!' Buckeyes S Lathan Ransom Discusses Return To Ohio State After 2023 Injury

In January, Ohio State Buckeyes safety Lathen Ransom announced he'd be returning to Columbus to play another season of football.

In January, Ohio State Buckeyes safety Lathen Ransom announced he'd be returning to Columbus to play another season of football.

"It's not easy to leave a team. It's much harder to leave a brotherhood," Ransom said in his announcement. "This football program and this university mean too much to me, and we have unfinished business. After much thought and prayer, I have decided to return to the Ohio State University for my final season in 2024."

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Ransom cited how much he loves head coach Ryan Day as part of the reason for his return when he met with the media on Thursday. 

"I love how Coach [Ryan] Day is getting more hands-on with everybody. I think Coach Day is the best coach in the country. For him to be in there on special teams and coaching everyone to be better and holding the older guys accountable and helping the older guys hold the younger guys accountable I think it's going to make us an all-around better team."

Ransom suffered a season-ending non-contact injury back in November against Wisconsin, and sat out the rest of 2023 with a Lisfranc injury. It was the second serious injury of his college career after breaking his leg in the Rose Bowl in 2022. He noted that this one was harder to come back from, but he had help.

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"I'm not gonna sit here and lie and say when it first happened, I wasn't crushed, I was really destroyed. I just think that knowing God has a plan for me and I'm facing this adversity for a reason and I'm going to come out stronger and smarter and a better player, so I can't wait to see what he has in store for me this year."

Ransom will likely start alongside Sonny Styles in 2024 after Josh Proctor declared for April's NFL Draft.