Buckeyes Now

Ohio State Unveils Huge Injury Updates on Star Players

The Ohio State Buckeyes have revealed major injury updates on a couple of their star players heading into the National Championship Game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Matthew Schmidt|
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) and safety Sonny Styles (6) celebrates a defensive stop during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau (44) and safety Sonny Styles (6) celebrates a defensive stop during the first half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game against the Texas Longhorns at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes have received very positive injury news in the lead up to the National Championship Game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday.

Defensive end JT Tuimoloau and cornerback Denzel Burke have told Eleven Warriors that they will both be on the field when Ohio State players for the national title.

Tuimoloau suffered an ankle injury during the Buckeyes' win over the Texas Longhorns during the first half of the Cotton Bowl. He returned in the second half and looked okay, but his status for the Notre Dame matchup was somewhat in question.

Meanwhile, Burke did not play in the second half against Texas as a result of a shoulder injury, which left his status for the National Championship Game up in the air.

The good news is that both players practiced on Saturday and should be full speed ahead for Monday night.

Tuimoloau and Burke are both integral pieces of Ohio State's elite defensive unit.

The former is widely viewed as a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and has racked up 56 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles this year.

A legitimate argument can be made that Tuimoloau has been the Buckeyes' most dominant defensive player throughout the season.

Burke has actually been a bit of a disappointment, as his draft stock has dropped thanks to some rather lackluster performances in 2024, but he appears to have flipped a switch during the College Football Playoff and has been playing very well.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

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