As it turns out, Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott will need a second surgery on his left wrist, which was fractured during preseason camp last August.

Elliott had surgery on the wrist in August, but returned in time to start the season-opener against Navy. Despite not being able to carry the ball in his left hand and not utilize his stiff arm nearly as much as he wanted, Elliott compiled the second-most rushing yards in a season in OSU history with 1,878 (6.9 yards per carry, 18 touchdowns) as the Buckeyes captured the national championship.

A source told Bucknuts on Sunday that Elliott would not need a second surgery on his wrist because OSU's medical staff had decided to let it heal with rest. However, Elliott had a doctor's appointment on Monday that changed the plan.

"He went in for his four-week check-up and one part of the bone is healed, but one part isn't, so he's going to have surgery this Thursday morning," a source told Bucknuts. "The doctors checked it out four weeks ago and were shocked that it had healed as much as it had. So, at that time, they decided to not have surgery. Ezekiel had what they call bone stimulation two times per day over the last four weeks and they thought that might completely heal it. But only part of it healed and they decided they need to do the surgery."

Elliott's status for Ohio State's spring practices is unclear, although it's difficult to imagine him being cleared for any contact drills.

UPDATE (5:55 p.m. ET Tuesday): A source has informed Bucknuts that Elliott's surgery has been pushed back until Friday.