Transfer safety Ja’Had Carter’s acclimation to Ohio State took a hit when he suffered a right leg injury during the Buckeyes’ spring practice on April 1, forcing him to miss the last handful of practice sessions as well as the spring game.
Carter was helped off the field but head coach Ryan Day indicated that it was not expected to be a long-term issue. Now, nearly two months later, Carter is back to work for the Buckeyes, as safeties coach Perry Eliano said Tuesday that Carter is “back to 100 percent.”
“Very unfortunate,” Eliano said of Carter’s injury. “Anytime, even though he’s played a lot of football coming from where he’s came from, we do things a little different – the teaching, the progression, and just getting a true evaluation of who Ja’Had is for myself, with him each and every day.
“I hate that it happened,” he continued. “It’s unfortunate, and he’s back to 100 percent, he’s everything that we asked him to do to this point.”
Carter had impressed in limited action prior to his injury after transferring to Ohio State from Syracuse, where he was a three-year starter for the Orange. Carter was competing with Cameron Martinez at nickel safety throughout the spring, with the Buckeyes looking to replace the departed Tanner McCalister.
With Carter back in the fold, that competition will continue through the summer and into the fall, and the coaching staff is excited to see how he continues to grow for the Buckeyes.
“He’s a good football player. He’s coachable, he wants to learn, and he’s a worker. He’s what we thought when we went out and wanted to bring in a transfer safety. I’ve been pleased at this point,” Eliano said. “The only way you truly get better is to play the game, you know, and so it was unfortunate that he got hurt, but like I said, he’s back 100 percent. He’s in drills, he’s in workouts, and I’m excited to see his growth this summer.”
