INDIANAPOLIS –– The Ohio State back seven on display in April's spring game wasn't quite representative of the product that spectators can expect to see by the start of the season.
Spring injuries took a bite out of Kerry Coombs' defensive roster, but Buckeye head coach Ryan Day delivered some good news for his defensive coordinator at Big Ten Media Days on Friday.
Redshirt junior cornerback Cam Brown and redshirt freshman safety Kourt Williams, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries either before or early in the 2020 season, should be recovered by Sept. 2's season-opener at Minnesota.
In fact, Day said both players will be ready to suit up by the start of preseason camp, which could begin in just a couple weeks.
"They'll be full go," Day told media at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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Brown, a key rotational outside corner for the Buckeyes behind only Shaun Wade and Sevyn Banks on the depth chart last season, tore his Achilles in just the second game of the 2020 season against Penn State on Oct. 31, 2020.
Just a few days later, Day called the loss of Brown "very costly" for the Ohio State secondary.
"Cam came with experience this season in a position that we couldn’t afford to lose anyone, so to lose Cam, it’s a significant hit,” Day said last November. “Obviously wish he gets a healthy procedure and healthy recovery, but I really feel bad for Cam and his family.”
With Wade off to the NFL, Brown will be in contention to start at corner for the Buckeyes right away alongside Banks. However, 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman Ryan Watts, who intercepted a pass in the spring game, is in the picture to start at the position as well.
Williams, a four-star linebacker prospect and the No. 89 recruit in the class of 2020, turned heads at safety in preseason camp last season before tearing his ACL in October.
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Fellow hybrid defenders Craig Young and Ronnie Hickman received the bulk of the spring snaps at the bullet position, but Coombs said at the conclusion of camp that Williams will factor into group as well in 2021.
“Any time you're putting together a package, you're gonna try to make sure that the defense is emphasizing your players’ strengths, and not exposing their weaknesses,” Coombs said. “And so, while those two kids are different, and Kourt Williams would be the third piece of that puzzle, you're looking at different types of players. When they're on the field, you're going to want to emphasize what they do best.”
Neither Brown nor Williams participated in full-contact work in the spring, but both went through stretches and individual work in pads during practices. Now though, both players will have a chance to earn significant reps for Ohio State to make up for lost time in the preseason.
