The Cleveland Browns chose Trey McNutt as their team representative at "NFL Next" in 2024, the son of an Ohio State defensive back with elite reflexes and five-star potential. At 6-0, 195 he starred as a two-way player at Shaker Heights High School in the Cleveland suburbs, running a 10.7 100 meters and a 21.7 200 as a sophomore.
Billed as an "instant impact player," McNutt signed with the Ducks and joined the team in time for Rose Bowl practice in late December last year, a Navy All-American at safety who scored 12 touchdowns on offense in his junior year.
Last week the enormous promise and potential came crashing down when he broke his right leg in practice. Behind the headlines about NIL and big-money pro contracts is the reality that football can end in an instant.
Tomorrow isn't promised for anyone, but for an athlete, it's as fragile as a bone in one high-speed collision. It can be over, or a dream delayed, in two seconds.
Tuesday after practice head coach Dan Lanning confirmed that McNutt suffered a broken leg in practice and on the advice of his doctors elected to have surgery. Lanning said the freshman safety could return this year, but he faces a challenging rehab. For now he is out indefinitely.
“You never want to see a player get injured,” Lanning said. "Trey broke his leg, had surgery. He’s going to be able to recover from that. It’s something we think he’ll be able to come back from this season, sooner than later, but I don’t want to put a timeline on that. But Trey’s handling that unbelievably. Kind of a freak deal."
Lanning continued, “That being said, he’s working his ass off to get back. He’s staying engaged in the playbook, he’s preparing himself. He was having a really good fall camp. You always hate to see that happen, but it is part of football. I think Trey’s handling it really well.”
Without him, the Ducks have Dillon Thieneman, Kingston Lopa, Peyton Woodyard and Aaron Flowers at safety, a strong group with good size and ball skills. Five-star cornerback Na'eem Offord, 6-1, 195, has the versatility and body type to see the field at corner, nickel or safety. He may be called upon sooner.
In the 2025 recruiting cycle, the Ducks nabbed him out of Birmingham, Alabama and flipped him from Ohio State.
5⭐️ No. 1 CB Ohio State commit Na’eem Offord is too TUFF 😮💨🔥@OffordNaeem I @AHParkerFootba1 pic.twitter.com/52b05ngfUH
— League Ready (@LeagueRDY) September 25, 2024