Ohio State football linebacker Tommy Eichenberg to return for rivalry game at Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tommy Eichenberg is set to return for Ohio State in its clash at archrival Michigan on Saturday.
Eichenberg, the Buckeyes’ starting middle linebacker, was not among the players who were ruled out on the pregame availability report submitted to the Big Ten, paving the way for his availability in the 119th edition of The Game.
He was banged up in their win at Rutgers on Nov. 4, leaving with his left arm heavily wrapped in ice, prompting him to miss the following two weeks.
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Tommy Eichenberg held out
Coach Ryan Day said Eichenberg could have played last Saturday against Minnesota, but they held him out as a precaution rather than risk a setback ahead of the matchup with the Wolverines. Day added that they were aiming for Eichenberg to be at full strength for this weekend.
His availability will leave defensive coordinator Jim Knowles with the option to feature a three-linebacker package that features Eichenberg with Steele Chambers and Cody Simon, who started in place of Eichenberg the last two weeks, to match up with Michigan’s ground game.
The Wolverines rushed for a combined 479 yards in its wins over the Buckeyes the last two years.
Ohio State’s defense will also be bolstered in the trenches by Mike Hall Jr., the defensive tackle who is also slated to return. Hall was out last week against Minnesota with an undisclosed injury and has split starts at tackle with Ty Hamilton.
Devin Brown is also available as the backup at quarterback behind Kyle McCord.
When the Buckeyes checked into their hotel on Friday night, Day had indicated they would be largely healthy outside of a handful of players who are out for at least the regular season, including safety Lathan Ransom.
“All hands on deck,” Day said, “that’s for sure.”
The only addition to Ohio State’s unavailable list was sophomore wide receiver Kojo Antwi.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State linebacker Tommy Eichenberg to return for game at Michigan
