When Braxton Miller went down for the season with a torn labrum, he became the seventh first-team All-Big Ten media selection that Ohio State lost from a year ago.
Now an eighth Buckeye standout could be joining that list.
After failing his second drug test in a year, per Tim May of The Columbus Dispatch, defensive end Noah Spence's return to college football was put on hold on Friday when Ohio State confirmed that he will be ineligible for Saturday's contest between the Buckeyes and Kent State.
It's unclear how long Spence's presumed second suspension will last—ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg reports that Big Ten rules would dictate that a second failed drug test would result in the permanent end of his eligibility—but this much we do know: For the foreseeable future, the Buckeyes will be without their all-conference defensive end.
“We are hopeful that Noah can get healthy and, at some point, resume his career with the Buckeyes," Spence's parents told The Dispatch.
Another day, another blow for the Buckeyes, who were already licking their wounds following last week's 35-21 loss to Virginia Tech.
With the struggling Golden Flashes coming to town and a bye week to follow, Ohio State was hoping to head into its week off with positive momentum, but no blowout victory on Saturday will be able to overshadow the news that one of the Buckeyes' best defensive players has had his college career again put on hold.
On the one hand, the loss of Spence isn't as crippling to Ohio State's championship aspirations as Miller's injury was, given that the Buckeyes are plenty deep on the defensive line and have already spent two weeks preparing and playing without the 6'3", 252-pounder. But on the other, talent is talent, and Spence has plenty of it.
A former 5-star prospect, Spence came to Columbus in 2012 as the nation's top-ranked defensive end. He saw playing time in spot duty as a true freshman during Ohio State's run to a 12-0 record, before breaking out with 50 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks in his sophomore season.
Ineligible to play in the Orange Bowl due to his first failed drug test, Spence's family claimed he had been unknowingly slipped Ecstasy at a party and even contemplated suing the Big Ten. At Big Ten media days in July, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer said that it was "shocking" when he heard that his star defensive end had tested positive for the drug.
"It hit him really hard," Meyer said. "I believe him and his story. He's been nothing but a good student and a model citizen."
At the very least, Meyer was duped by Spence's story that his drink was spiked, as were his parents, who told The Dispatch that their son has a "medical illness." What's most important for the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native now is getting his personal life back on track, before attempting a return to the football field—whenever and wherever that may be.
From an Ohio State standpoint, what could have been the greatest defensive line in school history becomes a little less great now that it no longer knows how long it will be without its most productive member.
Steve Miller has been solid in Spence's absence and Joey Bosa, Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington make for an already dominant trio at the other spots on the line, but there's still no making up for the Spence, who has been projected as a first-round pick in next May's NFL draft by CBSSports.com.
"Noah's a very talented player," Ohio State defensive coordinator Chris Ash said earlier this week. "He fits well in our scheme. He has a tremendous ability to get after the quarterback, and I think [his return is] going to help us a lot."
But it now appears that help may never come. And for a team already at a crossroads early in its season, the Buckeyes could certainly use all the help that they can get.
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Ohio State Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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