Ohio State defensive lineman Joey Bosa plays against Indiana last November. Associated Press Four players on the defending national championship Ohio State football team, including one of the top defensive talents in college football, will miss the Buckeyes’ season opener for undisclosed team violations, the school said Thursday. The players—defensive end Joey Bosa, hybrid backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson and wide receiver Corey Smith—will be sidelined on Sept. 7 for Ohio State’s game at Virginia Tech, the only team that beat the Buckeyes last season on their way to the national title. All four players are significant losses, but none is bigger than Bosa, the defensive lineman with 13 ½ sacks last year. The suspensions also have consequences for r, the former Ohio State quarterback making the switch to a receiving role this year rather than competing with J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones. Miller, the former Big Ten player of the year who missed last season with an injury, is expected to play a position that’s a hybrid between wide receiver and running back, and he may be integral right away without Marshall and Wilson against Virginia Tech. It’s unclear why the four players were suspended, but there were no criminal incident reports involving any of the four players, according to spokespeople for the Columbus Police Department and Ohio State University Police Division. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer already had a news conference scheduled for Thursday afternoon as part of the Big Ten Conference’s preseason media event. For the latest sports coverage, follow @WSJSports
Continue Reading: Four Buckeyes Suspended for Season Opener
