Ohio State's depth on defense took another hit Friday afternoon.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Justin Hilliard will miss the rest of the season, according to an Instagram post. A source close to the linebacker told Eleven Warriors Hilliard tore his left biceps last week in practice and only found out about the severity Thursday.

Can't lie I'm hurt, but head up and looking forward to killin this rehab for the next 6 months. Appreciate all the calls and prayers, All love A photo posted by Justin Hilliard (@hilliardj47) on Sep 23, 2016 at 9:56am PDT

Hilliard played a vital role on Ohio State's special teams through the first three games of the 2016 season, primarily on kickoff and kickoff return. The Buckeyes also listed him as backup linebacker to Dante Booker and Jerome Baker.

Hilliard joined Ohio State in 2015 as a five-star prospect out of Cincinnati St. Xavier High School and Ohio's top overall recruit. After redshirting last year, Hilliard ends his 2016 campaign with four total tackles, all compiled against Bowling Green.

The linebacker missed essentially all of spring practice with a right biceps injury.