Steele Chambers to miss rest of spring practice, and other Ohio State football notes

Ohio State linebacker Steele Chambers will miss the rest of spring practice because of a lower body injury.

Chambers was seen walking on crutches during practice on Friday at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center with his right leg elevated.

“He’ll have a procedure done,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said, “but he’ll be back for the preseason. He should have a pretty good summer.”

Day did not specify the exact nature of the injury to Chambers, who first appeared to be hurt after practice on Wednesday when he left the field using a medical scooter to avoid putting pressure on his right knee.

The Buckeyes have been banged up at linebacker this spring as Tommy Eichenberg has been limited and progressed only to non-contact drills. Eichenberg’s hands had been injured last season.

Without Chambers and Eichenberg available during team periods, the Buckeyes have lined up senior Cody Simon and sophomore C.J. Hicks with the first team. Reid Carrico, a redshirt sophomore, and Gabe Powers, a redshirt freshman, rotated behind them during Friday’s practice.

Both Chambers and Eichenberg put off declaring for the NFL draft to return for their fifth seasons. They were the Buckeyes’ leading tacklers last fall with Eichenberg tallying 120 and Chambers totaling 77.

After switching from running back two years ago, Chambers has made an impact swarming ball carries and pass catchers. During the Buckeyes’ first spring scrimmage last month, a hard hit by Chambers broke up a pass dumped off to a running back.

Ohio State is scheduled to practice three times next before concluding spring practice with its annual spring game on April 15.

Quarterback update

A week after declaring neither Kyle McCord nor Devin Brown had separated in the ongoing quarterback competition, Day mentioned the overall level of performance between the passers needed to be raised.

“We’re not there yet,” he said.

But Day said he was encouraged by what he saw at Friday’s practice, referring to it as a “step in the right direction.”

“I like the way they competed, took the classroom to the field,” he said. “If they’re going to allow us to coach them hard like that, they’re going to get better faster. We’ll see.”

Both of the passers threw for touchdowns in a situational period in the red zone toward the end of the practice. McCord found tight end Cade Stover open in the middle of the end zone, while Brown connected with Kojo Antwi on a fade route in one corner. Antwi pulled in the contested catch over Davison Igbinosun, a transfer cornerback from Mississippi.

McCord, though, was on the wrong end of one of the other highlights of the practice as nickel safety Cameron Martinez picked off one of his passes in a 7-on-7 drill.

Xavier Johnson sidelined

The Buckeyes’ injury list also includes wide receiver Xavier Johnson, who was using a scooter on Friday to rest his lower left leg that had been placed in a walking boot.

Day said the timeline for Johnson’s return is one that mirrors the one for Chambers. While out for the last week-plus of spring practice, he is expected to return for workouts over the summer, including preseason training camp in August.

“Xavier’s probably a little bit longer,” Day said, “but we’ll still have him for the summer. It’s not going to be something that affects him in the preseason.”

A former walk-on, Johnson stepped up as a reliable reserve receiver for the Buckeyes last season, using his versatility to line up in several spots from the outside and slot to the backfield. He caught 13 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns.

Zen Michalski back practicing

Right tackle Zen Michalski has returned to practice after he was held out of scrimmage periods last Saturday.

Michalski rotated behind Tegra Tshabola, who started out at right tackle with the first-team offense on Friday. Both are competing for the starting job vacated by Dawand Jones.

George Fitzpatrick also took first-team reps at right tackle.

Etc.

Ja’Had Carter, a transfer safety from Syracuse who suffered a knee injury during last Saturday’s practice, worked off to the side of the field with other players who are rehabbing injuries. Carter did not appear to be wearing a brace or moving with any significant limitations. ... Running back Miyan Williams, who has also been held out with an unspecified injury, was with the rehab group in a non-contact jersey. ... Tight end Jelani Thurman and safety Malik Hartford became the second and third of the Buckeyes' early enrollee freshmen to lose their black stripes.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Steele Chambers to miss rest of Ohio State spring football practice