Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley leaves game with apparent shoulder injury

UPDATE: During his postgame press conference, Urban Meyer called the injury just a “stinger”. Meyer added that Conley was held out for the remainder of the game as a precaution but the expectation is he should be fine.

Urban Meyer’s Buckeyes are an exceptionally young team, without too many veteran players. One of their few is star defensive back (and captain) Gareon Conley, and it looks like Ohio State might be without him indefinitely.

After a tackle early in the second quarter, Conley looked to favor his shoulder, and had to be helped off the field. Later, Conley would leave the game and head for the locker room. He was replaced in the game by Denzel Ward.

Conley would not return in the second half due to what was described as an “upper-body injury”. The severity is still unknown.

Cornerback is one position where Ohio State doesn’t have a ton of depth, and Conley is a legitimate NFL prospect (one who had impressive pass breakups early in the Oklahoma game). Losing Conley long term would undoubtedly be a very significant injury for Ohio State.

Hopefully, the injury isn’t serious, and Conley is able to return soon. At the very least, maybe he can use Ohio State’s upcoming bye week to get healthy and prepared for Big Ten play.