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Ohio State loses linebacker, former team captain to medical retirement
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Ohio State linebacker Kourt Williams announced on Wednesday that he is medically retiring from football.
Williams was set to play his 5th collegiate season in 2024, but will instead retire after undergoing a number of knee and shoulder surgeries during his playing career. Williams’ announcement came just one day before the Buckeyes started fall camp ahead of the upcoming season.
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Williams wrote in his announcement that he has undergone 4 knee surgeries and 3 shoulder surgeries over the past 5 years. He missed all of the 2020 and 2023 seasons due ACL injuries. Williams also had his 2022 season cut short due to a shoulder injury.
Williams, a former 4-star prospect, was named a team captain for Ohio State in 2022 and remained a leader for the program while on the sidelines last season. Head coach Ryan Day talked about Williams’ impact while meeting with reporters on Thursday.
“Kourt, when he first got here, you recognized very easily and very fast how disciplined he was,” Day said. “He earned a leadership role on the team. But just decimated with injuries … And it was very hard for him to step away, but even though he didn’t get a chance to play on the field as much, he did have a great leadership role. Similar to Kam Babb in what he did here.”
Day also spoke about what could be next for Williams and said that he’ll always be welcomed at Ohio State.
“A lot of the guys are going to miss him. He just went recently on an internship to the NFL league office in New York,” Day said. “I know he’s trying to figure out what’s the next step for him, but he’ll always be welcome here and the guys look up to him.”
Given Williams’ extensive injury history, he was not expected to play a significant role for the Buckeyes in 2024. The Buckeyes will enter the 2024 season with 7 linebackers who are on scholarship.
Ohio State will open the 2024 season against Akron on Aug. 31.
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Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.