Eddrick Houston’s answers about his leg injury were short.
But the sophomore defensive tackle said what Ohio State fans want to hear.
“I feel good,” he said. “I’ll be ready Week 1.”
Week 1, of course, is the opener Aug. 30 against No. 1 Texas. Ohio State is replacing its entire starting defensive line from last year’s national championship team, and Houston is as important a piece of that as anybody.
The Buckeyes have depth at defensive end. But beyond nose guard Kayden McDonald, they lack proven players behind Houston at tackle. That’s why many held their breath when Houston injured his knee on the first day of training camp July 31.
Houston said he took “a wrong step (and) messed it up,” but declined to reveal details about the injury beyond that, terming it a “little minor setback.”
Houston was on the field the next day, though he didn’t do much in the two practices open to the public and reporters. He has ramped up participation since then.
“It feels great to be back on the field and be able to contribute and build these calluses for Week 1,” he said.
Houston said he wasn’t that frustrated by the injury because it gave backups needed practice reps. But the Buckeyes are counting on Houston to start living up to his billing as a five-star recruit.
“Eddrick, he’s a freak athlete,” McDonald said.
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“Eddrick is a fierce competitor,” senior defensive end Caden Curry said. “He fights hard. He plays hard every single play. We definitely need him.”
Houston was recruited as a defensive end. He was moved to the 3-tech tackle spot in the middle of last season to help lighten the load on Tyleik Williams. Houston took 141 snaps a year ago, according to Pro Football Focus.
“When we had our first conversation about making a move, the first thing he said was, ‘Coach, any way I can help,’” defensive line coach Larry Johnson said.
“I think it’s been a great transition. I think he’s embraced the role of playing inside, and that’s the key to the whole thing. Once you accept it, then you’ve got a chance to move forward.”
Now it’s a matter of getting him enough practice reps before the Texas game.
“He’s back on the field full time, so now we’re trying to ramp him up,” Johnson said. “It’s a little different standing on the sideline watching than getting in the meat of things and getting your head knocked in and fighting through it.
“That’s what we’re working on. Make sure you understand what it takes to play that position because you’re talking double-teams 20 percent of the time.”
Johnson knows the clock is ticking not only for Houston but for his entire line. Johnson, 73, is in his 26th year coaching college football. He said this is the first time he has had to replace all four starting linemen, and Williams, Ty Hamilton, Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau were hardly average players.
“We have depth,” Johnson said. “Experience is what we don’t have.”
He said he is doing everything in his power to make up for that.
“If I can get six guys to play as one, we have a good deal,” Johnson said. “That’s the whole approach because we don’t know who’s going to be the 1s, who’s going to be the 2s, who’s going to be the 3s. It’s all about driving them to understand what it takes to play that first game.
“That’s the whole focus. We’re not worrying about how many reps they haven’t had, how many games they haven’t played. The whole idea is to get them ready to play one game and hope we can carry it from there. We’re pushing the envelope as hard as we can right now to get those guys ready to play.”
Ohio State football beat writer Bill Rabinowitz can be reached at brabinowitz@dispatch.com or on BlueSky at billrabinowitz@bsky.social.
