Damon Webb Suspended by Ohio State: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction

Ohio State suspended cornerback Damon Webb for a violation of athletics department policy ahead of its clash with Northern Illinois on Saturday.

Bill Landis of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reports a spokesperson for the football team didn't announce a length for the punishment. No further information regarding the nature of the suspension was immediately released.

Webb, the Buckeyes' starting nickelback, had registered eight total tackles through the first two weeks of the regular season.

The corner was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school. He rated as a 4-star prospect, ranking as the No. 35 overall recruit and No. 5 cornerback in the 2014 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

After seeing limited defensive snaps and tallying just three tackles as a freshman, he stepped into a much larger role as Ohio State begin defense of its national title.

The Buckeyes will now be forced to fill the nickelback void again.

The choice will likely come down to depth cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Denzel Ward or safety Cam Burrows. There could also be a rotation in the short term until one player emerges from the pack.

The only silver lining is that Ohio State is in a favorable portion of the schedule after opening the season with a victory over Virginia Tech two weeks ago. So the defense shouldn't suffer a major drop off without Webb.