Ohio State Week 1 injury report: Updates on Donovan Jackson, Cody Simon, Jayden Bonsu and more

Modified Aug 31, 2024 18:23 GMT

The No. 2 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will begin their 2024 college football season by hosting the Akron Zips on Saturday. However, Ryan Day's team has some injury woes heading into Week 1 of the season.

Ohio State Week 1 injury report

As per reports, the Buckeyes will be without seven players for their season-opener against the Akron Zips on Saturday. Two of coach Day's starters — left guard Donovan Jackson and middle linebacker Cody Simon — will also not feature in the contest. The team has not announced a timeline for their return.

Jackson is in his third season with the Buckeyes. In two years with the team, he has earned two first-team All-Big Ten selections. Furthermore, Jackson is set to miss a game for Ohio State for the first time after playing 26 consecutive matchups.

Meanwhile, senior linebacker Simon has been a key member of the Buckeyes' defense in recent years. He racked up 57 tackles last season, of which 24 were solo.

The other OSU players who won't play in the season opener are safety Jayden Bonsu, defensive lineman Cade Casto, offensive tackle Devontae Armstrong, wideout Reis Stocksdale and running back Timothy Caffey, who is out for the season.

Who is Ohio State's starting QB vs. Akron?

Will Howard is set to lead the Buckeyes' offense at quarterback against Akron. The senior signal-caller will play his first year with the Buckeyes in 2024 after spending three seasons at Kansas State.

Across his collegiate career thus far, Howard has racked up 5,786 yards on 458 passes with 48 touchdowns and also rushed for 19 touchdowns. He earned a second-team All-Big 12 selection last season.