Ohio State defensive end Jamal Marcus and wide receiver Brandon Ojikutu are no longer with the OSU football program, an OSU spokesman confirmed early Tuesday.

“Marcus has moved on; the result of a mutual decision. Ojikutu was a walk-on who is no longer with the team,” the spokesman said in an email.

Following the announcement, Marcus posted Tuesday from his Twitter account, @Jamalmarcus34, thanking the university.


Marcus and Ojikutu did not respond to immediate requests for comment Monday.

Marcus, a junior from Durham, N.C., finished 15th on the team with 21 total tackles in 2013. He started the Discover Orange Bowl in place of then-sophomore Noah Spence, who was suspended following a failed drug test in January. Marcus was expected to fill in for Spence through the first two games of the 2014 season – Spence is set to be eligible again when the Buckeyes face Kent State Sept. 13 at Ohio Stadium. Marcus had six total tackles – three solo – in the 40-35 loss against Clemson in the Orange Bowl Jan. 3.

OSU is set to return defensive linemen Joey Bosa, Michael Bennett, Adolphus Washington, Steve Miller and Chris Carter, along with Spence and others.

Ojikutu walked on to the team in 2012 and was preparing for his junior season with OSU. He is a native of Cleveland where he attended John Marshall High School. Ojikutu played in two games for the Buckeyes in 2013.

Eleven Warriors reported Monday that Marcus and Ojikutu were dismissed from the program for violating team rules, but there has been no confirmation of that report from OSU.

OSU is set to begin its season Aug. 30 against Navy at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Kick-off is slated for noon.

Correction: May 27, 2014 An earlier version of this article misattributed information about reported reasons for Jamal Marcus and Brandon Ojikutu’s departures to an OSU spokesman.