Day 1 of Ohio State’s national title defense is off to a potentially disastrous start. Even more than preparation for a Week 1 matchup with Texas, the goal of fall camp, which began in earnest on Thursday morning, is to stay healthy, and not only did Ohio State suffer an injury, but it came at the worst possible position.
On Thursday, Dan Hope reported that Ohio State defensive tackle Eddrick Houston suffered an injury in the Buckeyes’ first practice of fall camp, and that head coach Ryan Day was unable to provide an update on his status.
Ohio State defensive tackle Eddrick Houston suffered an injury during today’s first practice of preseason camp.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) July 31, 2025
Ryan Day said no update on his status yet.
Buckeyes DT, Eddrick Houston goes down with an injury on Thursday
The 2024 four-star recruit was projected to factor prominently in Ohio State’s defensive tackle rotation, potentially even earning the starting role in his true sophomore season. Houston played 141 defensive snaps across 14 games in 2024, emerging as a significant contributor for the College Football Playoff run.
Ryan Day and his new defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, have been tasked with replacing their entire starting defensive line from last season’s national title winner after Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams, and Ty Hamilton all departed for the NFL. Williams left big shoes for Houston to fill as a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions after a season with 23 run-game stops and 20 quarterback pressures from the interior of the defensive line.
Ohio State will also have high-level talent across the roster, and that’s the case on the defensive line with former top recruits like Houston, but that talent is largely inexperienced heading into 2025, particularly on the interior. Beyond the departures of Williams and Hamilton to the NFL, Hero Kanu left for Texas, Ohio State’s Week 1 opponent, in the transfer portal. Kanu played the fourth-most interior defensive line snaps for the Buckeyes last season.
The severity of the injury is not known, so it may not be time to panic in Columbus. The Buckeyes could still take the field in at Ohio Stadium on August 30 with Kayden McDonald and Houston as their defensive tackle duo.
However, if Houston is out for an extended period, it will likely force Will Smith Jr., Tywone Malone Jr., Jason Moore, and even true freshman three-star Jarquez Carter up the depth chart. Smith, Malone, and Moore combined for a total of 187 defensive snaps last season.
Despite his lack of experience, Houston was named on the Outland Trophy watchlist heading into the season. He would be a major loss for the Buckeyes, but without any update, it's impossible to know the severity of the injury.