COLUMBUS — Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer knows the anguish Nathan Williams has been going through as he sits out practice while recovering from a serious knee injury.
Watching the senior defensive end rehabbing in solitude on the sidelines hasn’t been pleasant for Meyer, either.

“Your heart bleeds for a guy like Nathan Williams,” Meyer said. “I’m starting to know that guy. Taking football away from him — that guy lives for it. It’s been hard not playing, not practicing. We’re being very cautious. We can’t have a setback.”

Williams, one of the Big Ten’s premier speed rushers, had five sacks and 12 tackles for losses as a junior in 2010. He played one game last season before being injured and receiving a medical redshirt year.

He’s recovering from microfracture surgery and did drills alone during practice Monday and Tuesday without a knee brace. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Miami Trace High School product possibly could be ready for the opener Sept. 1.

The way Meyer sees it, Williams would be at the Leo position on the defensive line, rushing from the edge out of a stand up start and also at times dropping into coverage as a linebacker, while third-team All-American John Simon would play the other defensive end.

“That would be a good defense if we could get both of them on the field at the same time,” Meyer said.

Simon found a home during the spring at the Leo position, but he’d gladly move to another spot to accommodate Williams.

“I feel like Leo is my most natural position. I was playing my best football in the spring, and hopefully it will carry over to the fall and season,” the 6-foot-2, 260-pound senior said. “But we’re very versatile . We can play any position.”

The front four may be the Buckeyes’ deepest position group. Junior defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (6-3, 317), who has gotten leaner over the summer, had 12 tackles for losses last season and appears poised to rake in some postseason honors.

Sophomore DT Michael Bennett (a Centerville product), senior nose tackle Garrett Goebel and junior defensive end Adam Bellamy also will be in the playing mix, along with a pair of five-star D-line recruits, Se’Von Pittman and Adophus Washington.

“Hank can play end if he wants and still get a great pass rush,” said Simon, who had seven sacks and 17 tackles for losses last season. “Garrett can move out, Adam can move in. And I think that really screws up offensive linemen when you’ve got guys that can jump all over the place because then they have to game plan for multiple players.”

Simon added of Hankins: “He definitely can be (an NFL) first-round pick. He’s a player and dual threat for us. He’s extremely quick for how big he is. I don’t know how he does it, but he’ll chase running backs down the line and catch them with his explosiveness and power.”