Proctor is limited to non-contract drills this spring as he continues to work his way back to full strength.
It’s only been six months since Ohio State fifth-year senior safety Josh Proctor suffered a season-ending leg injury in the loss to Oregon, yet he was back on the practice field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday morning, running through individual drills during the portion of practice open to the media.
“I wish he could do more. He’s just kind of getting started and getting moving around out there,” head coach Ryan Day said after practice. “It’s been a long road for him to come back from and that’s not easy … I wish he could do more right now, but he’s kind of inching his way back. But that’s OK. It’s a long way until August.”
The 6-foot-2 and 205-pound Proctor showed flashes of becoming an impact player in the first six quarters of the season, recording 10 tackles and an interception that was overturned by penalty in 84 defensive snaps against Minnesota and Oregon.
And while junior Bryson Shaw filled in admirably after Proctor went down, the Buckeyes clearly missed his game-changing ability in the secondary, whether it was in deep coverage or run support, where’s he made a number of bone-jarring hits throughout his career.
“He's rangy. He can cover a lot of ground. He's extremely physical. He will absolutely get after you, whether it's receivers downfield or coming up and playing the run game (or) blitzing,” Day said, pointing to his performance against Clemson in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl or the Big Ten Championship Game against Wisconsin a few weeks prior. “He’ll come downhill and play physical.”
“He also has really good ball skills. He can track the ball and when he's playing at his best, he's all over the place. He plays with discipline. He can really affect the game in a lot of areas and he can get away with some things that maybe other guys can’t, so that’s what we’re looking for out of him.”
Even though Proctor won’t be able to fully participate this spring as he continues his rehab, he’ll still be able to test out his leg in non-contact drills and take mental reps over the next few weeks. That’s exciting for new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who is greatly anticipating the return of one of his presumed starters.
“We need him. We want him," Knowles said. "I’ve seen film on him from last year and he’s a guy that can really change the game. He’s what we want at safety, so I just want him to get healthy.”
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