Big Ten Daily: Purdue Linebacker Semisi Fakasiieiki Injured During Fall Camp

Purdue redshirt fifth-year senior linebacker Semisi Fakasiieiki suffered an injury during practice, Ohio State offensive lineman Ryan Jacoby enters the transfer portal and Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald addressed the team's quarterbacks. Here's the latest from around the Big Ten.

Author:
D.J. Fezler
Aug 9, 2021 5:14 PM EDT

Purdue linebacker Semisi Fakasiieiki, a projected starter on defense, was carted off the practice field after suffering an injury during fall camp Monday.

"It's tough anytime you have a guy go down, then you're not sure what is going on with him." Purdue co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brad Lambert said after practice. They are going to take him over to the hospital and X-ray him and see exactly what is wrong with him.

"It's always tough, right? I tell the guys all the time, tomorrow isn't guaranteed. He didn't show up here today thinking this might be his last practice. I don't know if it is. But that's the mentality you have to have. You gotta play fast, take advantage of every opportunity to get better."

Fakasiieiki, who is using an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic to return to the team this year, appeared in five games during the 2020 season with one start.

He finished the year with six tackles and one tackle for loss. During his college career, he's appeared in 28 games while tallying 52 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack.

For more from our Sports Illustrated Purdue Site, Boilermakers Country, CLICK HERE.

Ohio State Offensive Lineman Enters Transfer Portal

Ryan Jacoby, a third-year guard for the Ohio State football program, entered the transfer portal Monday, according to Rivals.

He has never appeared in a game for the Buckeyes and was slated for a backup role in Columbus once again this upcoming season.

Ohio State hasn't had a player transfer from the program since May when Tyreke Johnson left the team and ended up at Nebraska.

Before entering the college ranks, Jacoby was a four-star prospect and the 283rd ranked player in the nation, according to 247Sports. He also was the 23rd ranked tackle in the country and the seventh-ranked recruit in Ohio for the class of 2019.

He committed to the Buckeyes in March of 2018, but will now be in search of an opportunity to start.

Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald Discusses QB Situation

The Northwestern football program is searching for its starting quarterback to start the 2021 season. Without Peyton Ramsey leading the charge, another candidate is poised to start under center this fall.

Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald addressed the team's quarterback situation Monday, and he said three players are battling for the role.

Hunter Johnson, South Carolina transfer Ryan Hilinski and Andrew Marty will all be in the mix during fall camp. Johnson even earned Fitzgerald's praise early on.

Johnson spent the 2017 season at Clemson before joining Northwestern and eventually seeing playing time in 2019. He's recorded 432 passing yards, one touchdown and four interceptions in that span.

Marty comes in without much experience. In his college career, he's registered just 150 yards passing on 14 completions with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Hilinski, who threw for more than 2,500 yards at South Carolina in 2019, will look for an edge with his experience. In that season with the Gamecocks, he passed for 11 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions in 11 games.

As of now, there is no timetable for an official quarterback announcement.