The Ohio State Buckeyes will be at full strength when they take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the National Championship Game inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium next Monday. Ohio State football head coach Ryan Day confirmed that cornerback Denzel Burke will be ready to go for the game.

“Day said starting cornerback Denzel Burke, who sat out the second half against Texas with an upper extremity injury, will be ready to play against the Irish,” Andrea Adelson of ESPN reported.

Burke recorded two tackles in Ohio State football's 28-14 win over Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night. Throughout the 2024 season, Burke recorded 45 tackles – 34 solo and 11 assisted – two interceptions and two pass deflections.

The 6-foot-1, 193-pound senior from Phoenix, Ariz., has appeared in 50 games throughout his four seasons with the program. Coming out of high school, Burke was a four-star recruit, the No. 199 player nationally and the No. 9 athlete in the class of 2021 according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Ohio State football will benefit from having the veteran cornerback back on the field against Notre Dame.

How can Ohio State football beat Notre Dame?

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Burke (10) celebrates an interception with safety Sonny Styles (6) and safety Lathan Ransom (8) during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium.
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State football has been playing on another level since its loss against the Michigan Wolverines to close out the regular season. It dominated the Tennessee Volunteers and Oregon Ducks in the first two rounds of the College Football Playoff and won convincingly against Texas as well.

Notre Dame football has looked good in all three of its playoff games as well, handling the Indiana Hoosiers, Georgia Bulldogs and Penn State Nittany Lions en route to earning a spot in the National Championship game.

Defense has been the name of the game for Notre Dame football this season. For Ohio State football to come out on top, quarterback Will Howard needs to show up ready to play and ready to lead the Buckeyes' offense to one of its best performances yet.