Noah Brown Injury: Updates on OSU WR's Leg and Return

Ohio State may be the No. 1 team in the country to start this season, but the Buckeyes will be without star wide receiver Noah Brown after he suffered a broken leg during practice on Wednesday. 

Continue for updates. 

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Brown's Broken Leg Will Require Surgery 

Wednesday, August 26

Ohio State coach Urban Meyer confirmed the bad news, adding Brown is expected to make a full recovery, according to Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch. 

Ari Wasserman added a pop was heard before the sophomore went down. 

Even though the Buckeyes are loaded with talent, which is a key reason they were the first preseason unanimous No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll, Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel did note why Brown's absence could be a detriment to their hopes of repeating as national champions:

Brown played sparingly as a freshman, recording one catch in two games, but he garnered a lot of hype over the spring with Ohio State receivers coach Zach Smith raving about his young star to Bill Landis of the Northeast Ohio Media Group in April. 

"Noah Brown has had probably as good of a spring as I could've wanted," Smith said. "He's dropped 25 pounds. He's at a different level than he was in the fall. He's come a long way and still has a lot to do, but he looks like a guy who's going to contribute in the fall."

Ohio State was already starting the season short-handed after suspending defensive end Joey Bosa, H-backs Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson, and wide receiver Corey Smith for the opening game against Virginia Tech on September 7. 

The Buckeyes lost last year's leading receiver, Devin Smith, to the NFL. Brown was in line to play a much bigger role on the team in 2015. Depending on the severity of the injury, Ohio State's grip over the Big Ten may loosen significantly.