Ohio State’s path to making Arch Manning uncomfortable just got a little clearer.
Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby has been diagnosed with a bone bruise on his knee, and while he should be back in uniform by Week 2, his status still leaves plenty of uncertainty around the marquee matchup in Austin. That’s the kind of opening Ohio State’s EDGE group has to sniff out immediately.
The Buckeyes were already coming into this one with a simple objective: get Manning on the ground and make life miserable. Goosby’s injury only sharpens that mission. Even if he suits up, there’s a real question about whether he’ll be anywhere close to full strength.
And that matters because the numbers on Goosby are loud. PFF has him at an 84.2 overall grade in 2025, along with an 83.6 run-blocking grade and a 79.7 pass-blocking grade.
Manning has been sacked three times in 615 snaps behind him. Last season, Goosby and Melvin Siani allowed just six quarterback hits across 1,706 snaps.
Those are the marks of one of the best blockers in the country and a future NFL draft pick.
Now Ohio State has a chance to attack a version of that player that may not be operating at full speed in Week 2. If Goosby is limited, the Buckeyes need to treat that as a green light.
That puts the spotlight squarely on Ohio State’s EDGE room, especially players like Kenyatta Jackson Jr., who has carried plenty of hype without always matching it with the kind of production that turns heads. Jackson, Beau Atkinson, and Qua Russaw could all be in position to challenge Jordan Coleman or Andre Cojoe if those names are forced into meaningful snaps. Even a compromised Goosby gives them a lane to create pressure.
Fall camp buzz has pointed toward Jackson and Atkinson as players on the rise, and Week 2 could be the moment that talk turns into something real.
The ripple effect goes beyond one game, too. Goosby’s injury doesn’t just make Texas a trickier matchup for Ohio State in the moment; it also raises questions about the Longhorns’ bigger picture.
Texas still has Tennessee on Rocky Top in September and then the Red River Rivalry on October 10. If Goosby isn’t fully healthy for those games, the Longhorns could be dealing with problems that linger well beyond the Buckeyes.
For Ohio State, that’s a bonus on top of the immediate opportunity. The Buckeyes can help themselves by going into DKR Stadium and making a statement. If the EDGE room can turn Manning into the hunted in front of a national audience, it would do a lot for Ohio State’s reputation with the CFP selection committee.
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Preseason camp, though, has kept that pecking order from feeling settled. St. Clair is still regarded as a strong prospect, but the battle for the No. 2 job remains alive, with the staff getting a closer look before the season begins. For Ohio State, it is more than a depth-chart footnote. In a quarterback room that is always under a spotlight, the backup spot can say a lot about how the next chapter is taking shape. [Read more 🡒]