Tyler Friday and Palaie Gaoteote are no longer playing for Ohio State.
Neither Ohio State defender is returning to the Buckeyes for a sixth year of eligibility, Ryan Day confirmed Wednesday during his National Signing Day press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Both Friday and Gaoteote could have played another season of college football thanks to the NCAA giving all athletes another year of eligibility in 2020, but they’ve instead decided to move on after injury-plagued careers.
Friday was expected to play a bigger role in Ohio State’s defensive line rotation after he was elected a captain last season, but he ended up playing only 73 defensive snaps as a backup defensive end.