With a key road trip to Happy Valley looming, this isn’t the news Ohio State or its fans wanted to hear.
During his return to his weekly radio show Thursday, Urban Meyer confirmed that Nick Bosa underwent surgery because of what the head coach described as a “core muscle injury.” The standout defensive end suffered the injury, believed to be either a groin or abdominal issue, in the Week 3 win over TCU.
The brother of Joey Bosa had already been ruled out of the Week 4 game against Tulane, and there’s no timeline for a return.
Meyer on Nick Bosa's status: "He had a core muscle injury. He had surgery. We hope to get him back as soon as possible. Obviously, one of the best players in football and a better person."
— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) September 20, 2018
While Bosa, one of the top defensive linemen in the nation and a likely Top Five pick in the 2019 NFL draft, won’t be missed this weekend, the same can’t be said for No. 4 OSU’s Week 5 matchup against No. 10 Penn State.
As far as replacing Bosa in the short-term, the Columbus Dispatch wrote that, per Meyer, “Jonathon Cooper and Chase Young are expected to start at defensive end on Saturday against Tulane.” The head coach also “mentioned freshmen Tyreke Smith and Tyler Friday as players who could see increased action” because Bosa is sidelined.