Coach Urban Meyer, Buckeyes players react to death of Kosta Karageorge

Buckeyes Coach Urban Meyer said Monday that some 40 players came by his office that morning, following the previous night’s news of the apparent suicide of walk-on player Kosta Karageorge.

“[You] put your arm around them, talk about stuff,” Meyer said Monday during a news conference. “That’s what gets families through tough situations.”

Meyer, who dealt with a similar situation at Florida with the death of Michael Guilford back in 2007, said this Ohio State group is tight enough to help each other through the tragedy.

“I can just tell you it’s an extremely close team that does a lot of things together and cares about each other,” said Meyer, whose Buckeyes are preparing to play Wisconsin for the Big Ten championship.

Linebacker Joshua Perry echoed the sentiment in a quote released by the university on Twitter.

“Guys are dealing with it different ways,” Perry said. “We are a close group. We are communicating with each other.”

Karageorge, a senior defensive tackle, joined the football team this season but spent three years on the wrestling team. He went missing in the middle of last week, and his body was found Sunday with a gunshot wound in a trash bin near his apartment, according to Columbus police.

A handgun was found with Karageorge in the trash bin, police said.

The image is a far cry from the person some players were remembering Monday.

“He was a fun guy,” offensive tackle Taylor Decker said, via Ohio State’s Twitter account. “Easy to be around. A blue-collar American guy. It’s just sad. A huge team guy. I have a lot of respect for him as a person.”

Perry said: “He was one of the most hard working guys I ever knew. He was lighthearted and always had a smile on his face. We are praying for his family.”

At his press conference, Meyer said: “It’s difficult. You can look in a coaching manual, I’m not sure you’ll find anything. ... We’ll never get over it.”

Twitter: @chewkiii