Ohio State Buckeyes

No. 1 Buckeyes lose wideout N. Brown for season with leg injury

Published Aug. 26, 2015 9:17 p.m. ET

foxsports

Ohio State wide receiver Noah Brown is out for the season after injuring his leg during practice in Columbus, Ohio, the school announced in a statement Wednesday.

A source told FOX Sports college football senior writer Bruce Feldman that Brown broke his leg. Ohio State said Brown is scheduled for surgery at the Ohio State University Medical Center on Thursday and is expected to make a full recovery.

Source tells @FOXSports #OhioState WR Noah Brown out for the season due to a broken leg today. He was having a great camp.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) August 27, 2015

Listed at 6-foot-2, 222 pounds, Brown was among a large group of players vying for playing time as Ohio State replaces departed seniors Devin Smith and Evan Spencer. Brown was frequently the subject of praise from head coach Urban Meyer and teammates during the offseason.

"There was a point in camp no one could cover him," cornerback Eli Apple said about Brown on Tuesday. "He was just so physical and really good with his hands and he catches everything."

The sophomore from Sparta, NJ, played sparingly in 2014, making one catch for 9 yards in 13 games, but was in the running for a larger role this year after dropping significant weight.

In addition to losing Brown, Ohio State will be without receivers Corey Smith, Jalin Marshall and Dontre Wilson for the season opener against Virginia Tech on Sept. 7. The trio was suspended in July along with All-American defensive end Joey Bosa for violating team rules.

Meyer said last week that Brown was scheduled to be in the receiver rotation against the Hokies that includes Johnnie Dixon, Parris Campbell, Terry McLaurin and Michael Thomas.

The injury could also open up playing time for freshman Torrance Gibson, a highly-recruited quarterback who switched to wide receiver this season in order to get playing time as J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones compete to be the starting quarterback.

The defending national champion Buckeyes were picked No. 1 in AP's preseason poll. They are the first unanimous preseason No. 1 in the history of the ranking.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.