Ohio State Football: Two 5 star linebackers share similar paths

It has been reported Ohio State linebacker Justin Hilliard has suffered yet another injury. His career path has been similar to another former 5 star recruit.

Justin Hilliard was a five-star recruit and the No. 3 linebacker in the 2015 class but has had difficulties staying on the field due to injuries. He suffered another bad break as it has been reported he suffered an Achilles injury while preparing for his senior season and it’s uncertain when he will return.

His career path has been similar to another five-star linebacker recruit in the Jim Tressel era. Mike D’Andrea was the No. 1 ranked player at the position in the 2002 class but never achieved the success many thought he would because he was rarely healthy.

Let’s look at the current Buckeye LB first.

Hilliard tore a bicep his freshman year and was red-shirted so he had to watch fellow LB recruit Jerome Baker on the field making tackles on special teams. He then tore the other bicep the following year.

By the time he was healthy enough to play he was down in the depth chart and had to battle his way up. Last season was Hilliard’s best when he made 20 tackles with one for a loss.

Now his Achilles injury going into his senior year has set him back again.

Mike D’Andrea’s career started out promising. He backed up Matt Wilhelm at middle linebacker on the 2002 National Champions. After that things went sour.

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D’Andrea suffered multiple injuries that kept him off the field while he was watching fellow LB recruits A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter become stars. Finally the Injuries mounted up to the point he never fulfilled his potential.

Hopefully Hilliard’s recent injury won’t keep him from being able to come back in the fall. You would hope he will get to see the field during his senior year.

I always feel bad for a young man who is sidelined due to injuries because it happened to me twice when I was playing. On the first my leg was broken when I thought I was going to scramble from the pocket for a big gain. The second I suffered a quad injury on a sprint.

It’s not much fun watching your buddies play when you can’t.

Next. Expectations for Spring Game. dark

Hopefully Justin Hilliard will heal quickly and make some noise for Buckeyes his senior season.

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