Buckeyes Close To Full Strength, Have 8 Unavailable vs. Indiana

The Ohio State Buckeyes have eight players that will not suit up in the season opener against the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Ohio State Buckeyes head on the road against the Indiana Hoosiers for their 2023 season opener.

Usually health isn't an issue in Week 1, and the Buckeyes escaped preseason camp with only a few injuries that resulted in players not being able to play against the Hoosiers. Linebacker Kourt Williams and defensive lineman Will Smith Jr. headline the eight players that won't suit up Saturday for Ohio State when it kicks off against Indiana at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.

The long-term injury head coach Ryan Day announced in the preseason was a torn ACL sustained by linebacker Kourt Williams II. The injury occurred shortly after Williams switched his position from safety to linebacker.

Smith will not be able to go in what would have been his first time suiting up for a college football game. The four-star defensive lineman was the Buckeyes' 13th-highest-rated recruit in the class of 2023.

Tight end Zak Herbstreit will also be unavailable after being hospitalized in June with an undisclosed heart condition. Herbstreit, a third-generation Buckeye behind grandfather Jim Herbstreit and father Kirk Herbstreit, said he was checked into the hospital after "not feeling right" for "a couple weeks."

In addition to the injuries, tight end Bennett Christian is suspended for the entire 2023 regular season after testing positive for a banned substance that was in a supplement he was taking. The Buckeyes still have tight ends Cade Stover, Joe Royer, Gee Scott Jr. and Jelani Thurman among others in Christian's absence.

Unavailable:

SAF Jayden Bonsu

RB T.C. Caffey

WR Kyion Grayes

TE Zak Herbstreit

WR Joop Mitchell

DL Will Smith Jr.

WR Reis Stocksdale

LB Kourt Williams II