Ohio
Ohio State football starting left tackle Josh Simmons likely out for the season
Josh Simmons, the starting Ohio State left tackle, remains likely to miss the rest of the season after he was injured in the Buckeyes’ loss at Oregon on Saturday.
During his weekly appearance on the “Buckeye Roundtable” on 97.1 The Fan, coach Ryan Day said Simmons’ injury was “probably” season-ending, continuing to offer a pessimistic outlook.
Day had raised concerns in his postgame news conference that Simmons might not be able to return this year, noting it did not “look great.” He added Monday night that tight end Will Kacmarek, who did not appear to return after his 32-yard catch on the first drive, is also “probably going to be a little while.” Day did not specify Kacmarek’s issue.
Simmons went down in the second quarter while blocking defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei. As he dropped into pass protection, his left knee appeared to buckle, prompting him to drop to the ground.
Once he fell to the Autzen Stadium turf, Simmons grabbed his left knee, which later received attention from the Buckeyes’ medical staff around the 20-yard line.
After he was examined for several minutes, Simmons stood under his own power, but did not move much or put significant weight on his left leg before being carted off the field. He did not return to the game, and Zen Michalski, a redshirt junior, replacing him for the duration.
A San Diego State transfer, Simmons became an immediate starter last fall and developed into one of the Buckeyes’ best blockers.
Simmons had allowed only two pressures this year, the fewest among Ohio State’s starting offensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus.
With him unavailable moving forward, Michalski could continue to fill in as the starting left tackle. The Buckeyes also could reshuffle their line. Tegra Tshabola, the starting right guard, has experience at tackle, and backup interior lineman Austin Siereveld has already started twice at left guard this year and split reps with Tshabola at guard.
This story was updated to add new information.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com.