Ohio State running back Master Teague has been added to OSU’s spring availability report and listed as “Unavailable” according to an OSU spokesman.
Being listed as unavailable means a spring-ending injury for the redshirt sophomore.
Sources have told The-Ozone that Teague suffered a possible Achilles injury on Monday. Ohio State has not confirmed the nature of the injury.
Teague rushed for 789 yards last year for the Buckeyes, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. He has been expected to take over this season from the departed JK Dobbins, who rushed for 2,003 yards last year and left early for the NFL.
The Buckeyes were already thin at running back this spring as there were only two scholarship running backs taking carries as Ohio State opened camp on Monday.
Following practice, head coach Ryan Day spoke about the importance of the running backs staying healthy this spring.
“We’re going to get Marcus [Crowley] back before the season starts. And then we have Miyan [Williams] coming in,” Day said. “Once we get to the summer, we’ll be whole. But, yeah, we’re one injury away from a little bit of a crisis right now, but in the end when it comes to September we’re going to be okay.”
With Teague now being unavailable, fifth-year senior Demario McCall will move back to running back. He was working with the receivers on Monday, but Day said after practice that he can move back and forth, and would during the spring.
Ohio State has had a recent spat of Achilles injuries. Middle linebacker Tuf Borland tore his Achilles in the spring of 2018, but was able to make it back in time for the season. Linebacker Justin Hilliard tore his Achilles last spring and made it back as well.
The extent of Teague’s injury isn’t known and Ohio State isn’t likely to comment much on it as Day’s policy is to keep injuries as private as possible.
Regardless of the full extent, this is a blow to the Buckeyes this spring and puts even more doubt on a running back group that was going to be asked to do the nearly impossible this season by replacing JK Dobbins.
Here is the current availability report from Ohio State.
Limited
§ CB Cameron Brown
§ LB Baron Browning
§ DE Jonathan Cooper
§ H-B Jaelen Gill
§ SAF Ronnie Hickman
§ DL Jaden McKenzie
§ DT Taron Vincent
§ CB Shaun Wade
Unavailable
§ RB Master Teague
§ WR Kamryn Babb
§ RB Marcus Crowley
§ OG Gavin Cupp
§ SAF Josh Proctor
§ H-B C.J. Saunders
Of course the one healthy true RB gets hurt on day one!
Tony
What running backs, if any, are in the portal now ?
I’m writing something up for tonight or tomorrow morning. I’ll throw some names in there.
Damn, first day of practice; that sucks for Master. Hope he heals up ok.
Also hope this injury doesn’t affect him like Borland’s injury did. Master needs to have more speed…not less.
You know he was the fastest running back on the team last yr right?
They may need to look at the Portal…McCall is not built to withstand a BigTen Season and has had more than His share of injuries as it is. Otherwise One of these Freshmen may need to Grab the Rock and Run like Hell just as JK Dobbins did. No need to Panic but definitely a concernr
@roger
Yeah McCall seems more like a 3rd down back type
Not at all good-terrible in fact. Blows my mind why there isn’t a wait list of 5* begging for an OSU offer every flipp’n year.
What about Mr. Football from Michigan? Might he play RB if needed?
Day mentioned that as a possibility back on signing day.
Cornerback and Running back were the two areas of little depth after last season. Cornerback already lost the little depth there was, hopefully we don’t lose it at running back too.
Potentially a huge loss. It will exacerbate the inexplicable failures in RB recruiting the last two years… Hopefully this leads to them ending the already multiple times failed experiment of McCall at WR and get him back to the RB room. Then work on a RB by committee approach.