Bosa's return won't be known until November
![Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa tries to break through against TCU offensive linemen Anthony McKinney, left, and Kellton Hollins. Bosa suffered a core muscle injury against the Horned Frogs that required surgery. [Joshua A. Bickel/Dispatch]](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/2018/09/24/NBUX/ghows-OH-76a472b4-e765-3fc3-e053-0100007fbed5-a7b56ca5.jpeg?width=660&height=404&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
Whether celebrated defensive end Nick Bosa plays again this season, or ever, for Ohio State remains to be seen, but his father, John Bosa, told The Dispatch on Monday that the answer won’t come until at least November.
Nick Bosa suffered a core muscle injury in the left pelvic area during OSU’s win over TCU on Sept. 15 in Arlington, Texas. He had surgery to repair it on Thursday in Philadelphia.
“Here’s the reality of what’s going on: Nick won’t be evaluated by the surgeon until November,” John Bosa said. “The bad news is, he had surgery. The good news is, it’s 100 percent fixable.
“And that is fantastic for Nick, because once he recovers he will be 100 percent.”
That has major ramifications beyond Ohio State, becuae Nick Bosa, a junior, has been projected by NFL draft analysts as one of the top three prospects for the 2019 draft should he leave school as expected.
Based on the contracts of the top three picks in the 2018 draft, that would mean a rookie contract worth more than $30 million, including a signing bonus of at least $22 million.
John Bosa said the family elected to have the surgery done by Dr. William Meyers, founder of the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia, which deals with core muscle injuries.
“He is a world-renowned core surgeon, that’s all he does, and he’s the best in the world,” John Bosa said.
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said at his weekly news conference Monday that Nick Bosa will be out “a few more weeks” but added “we expect him back” sometime this season.
John Bosa wanted to make sure it was understood when those expectations might be clarified.
“Certainly Urban wasn’t trying to mislead anyone, but the reality is Nick won’t be evaluated by the surgeon until November, and to speculate past that time frame really would not be helpful for anyone,” John Bosa said.
Bosa’s brother, Joey, played at Ohio State from 2013 to ’15 before leaving after his junior season to become the third player taken in the 2016 draft. What Joey Bosa had in his hip pocket, though, was the 2014 national championship.
In a conversation with The Dispatch in midsummer, Nick Bosa said he understood where he fit in regard to the NFL talk. But he also said he had business to take care of first at OSU, something to keep in mind if the surgery evaluation is favorable in November.
“Just thinking about the feeling that would come in winning a (national title) with all of my friends I have built here, it would be amazing, I’m sure,” Nick Bosa said before being elected a team captain. “They’re just such good teammates, and a national title would be a culmination of things.
“And it would just feel like a waste if we didn’t get one, because I feel like we’re that good. I don’t see why any other team should be better than we are.”
tmay@dispatch.com
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