I don't get a lot of warm fuzzies about the next group up but I'm going to reserve judgement. There seem to be a lot of projects from Indiana which, in at least one case thus far, turned out all right. The largely blue-chip OL this year proved it could stand toe to toe with GA but it's going to take a lot of overachieving for the next group to do the same. Here's to overachieving.
Every team for sure goes through this sort of thing, ESPECIALLY with OL.
If Frye is worth his money he should get those guys ready and have them playing at a high level next year. Will there be some drop off? Well... Obviously... It's very hard to replace guys that are as good as PJJ, Dawand Jones, and Wypler... But Matt Jones moving to the middle relieves some of the concern, Donovan Jackson will be +1 more year in... If Frye can get it done as a high level OL coach he'll prove it next year.
The Excellence of Execution, the Best there is, the Best there was, the Best there ever will be!
OSU seems to have more really good options on the interior. If Jackson can play LT more effectively than Michaelski, that may be the play, and backfill the guard position with Tshabola or Christman who are borderline top 100 overall recruits.
Still am surprised OSU didn't work the portal better - the chance to transfer into OSU and start at tackle for a top 5 team that is sending two tackles into the NFL seems like a very enticing opportunity.
Never been a fan of moving kids around, would much prefer keeping Jackson and Jones at their guard positions to give stability to both sides of the line, and then build around them. That puts every new starter next to a vet.
You star moving people to tackle, and then you could have up to 3 new guys playing next to each other..
I'm pretty sure center is Matt Jones's preferred and more natural position. Plus it benefits having one of your more experienced guys at center at since the center is responsible for calling out protections before the snap (something Wypler occasionally struggled with in 2021).
Sure, I get that, but he wasn't the backup center, Jakob James was the backup. I'd just prefer leaving the guards alone, slot in Jakob James at center, and then round it out with 2 of Fryar, Michalski and Vimahi... and of course don't sleep on Montgomery. I just love the idea of 3 new guys all being next to guys who started this season.
Jones was the #1 center in his class, and for whatever reason we've never wanted to play him there.. He's been solid ( when healthy) at guard..
Jones has been here since 2018. In that timeframe we've started Michael Jordan (who wasn't great but we weren't realistically going to start Jones at center when he was a true freshman), Josh Myers (second round pick and currently the starting center for the Packers), Harry Miller (for one game in 2020 due to multiple starting linemen testing positive for COVID), and Wypler (probably a 2nd round pick at this point) at center. He hasn't played there because we haven't needed him to play there. Jones has been the starting RG for the past two seasons. This coming season we're going to need him to play there (I have no doubt part of the reason he's returning is because Wypler just declared, if Wypler had decided to return I think Jones either would've declared or hit the portal to go someplace where he can play center).
Bound to be an interesting offseason. Losing majority of our experience offensive line and a new starter at QB. Would appear to me that Brown is the better option due to mobility if there are struggles with the line early. Who knows this could be an upgrade in run blocking vs what we've seen past two season though.
I love the young guys battling for open spots. That’s always brought out the best of ones we just don’t know about. It’s just different when they know a spot is actually up for grabs.
Pretty Pthetic to go 0-4 on Transfer Portal Oline. I understand not offering NIL packages to incoming freshman..but they absolutely should for transfer portal additions.
Kingston would've been the starting LT if he had come here so why would that be his excuse? My guess is A) USC's NIL is better than ours atm and that made up part of his mind for him and B) he's a West Coast kid and wanted to stay out on the West Coast.
Yes according to you but maybe the coaches worded it different. I’d say NIL and being from California played a role in that one but they didn’t all stay in their home state. I bet we hear jahad Carter say he wasn’t promised anything but a chance even tho it’s expected that he’ll start at nickle safety.
I wish there was more scoop on this -- I feel like we're having little misses here and there that could add up into big time issues down the road. We have one top 100 OL commit this year and a few other 4-stars, but we're a long way from landing the likes of Donovan Jackson and Paris Johnson in consecutive years.
Depends on if they move Matt Jones inside to center or not. If they do I see Vimahi taking over at RG and James would likely be a depth piece again next year.
For the record I am not saying he owes the fans anything. Just an observation that the way his “thank you” message read seemed to purposefully exclude fans. It’s unusual - I have no idea if there is some backstory I have missed.
Dawand Jones! What a strange recruiting journey. It all started when there was disappointment when we "settled" for a 1043rd ranked player and the 85th ranked OT out of HS after some misses in the recruiting cycle. But now we would all be flipping cartwheels if he were to return.
Agreed, Jones just doesn’t have good mobility imo. He needed to get his weight down, and he did but looks like he put it all back on again.In todays game anymore than 2 starting years out 3 only hurts the roster,unless we are talking about someone like CJ or Harrison.
Too many worries about the o line. Every single star on the o line today was at one point in the same shoes as the guys who are preparing to compete for starting spots next year. Ryan Day has made me question his decision making in some areas, but offensive performance is not one. We will be FINE..they have an entire offseason to sort out who will lead the Buckeye offensive line.
Every single star on the o line today was at one point in the same shoes as the guys who are preparing to compete for starting spots next year
Not exactly. Wypler was considered a near sure-fire interior OL prospect from day 1. PJJ was a prototype LT who literally everyone wanted and was as close to college ready as any OL prospect can be coming out of high school. So yes, they were in a position where they had to earn a starting spot, but they were starting from a spot that was WELL ahead of what the current guys are dealing. The guys on the current roster don't have the physical gifts or natural talent that PJJ or Wypler came in with.
The guys on the current roster don't have the physical gifts or natural talent that PJJ or Wypler came in with.
Donovan Jackson does (he was a 5-star recruit for a reason). Granted we've already seen a year of excellent play out of him at LG so he's the least of our worries going into next season. Obviously O-line recruiting hasn't been up to par in recent years but we do have talent at that position (even if it's not all 5-star talent). Montgomery is going to be an absolute stud at some point (though I don't expect to see much of him next year as a true freshman) and guys like Fryar, Zen, James, Hinzman, and Tshabola have a lot of potential and talent as well. Hell, I'd argue in the one game Fryar started at RT last year (Indiana) he looked almost better than Dawand. I don't think we have to worry about him at RT. LT is what I'm most concerned about.
I think Fryar looked good against Indiana, but that's not saying a ton. I think he might turn out to be an All Big Ten-level, but that's a big might. Will he hold up in the playoffs against elite DLs? And agreed on LT, but I think it's a borderline disaster right now. New QB with LT options that are completely inexperienced and have average athletic upside... I'm sure they'll also do well against Indiana, but I have 2006 flashbacks of unathletic tackles going against elite DLs.
I don’t see how transfer guys from Idaho state and other like schools are seen as the answer either. They wasn’t matched up with the elite competition in most cases. We are OSU. I’ll take our chances with OSU players developing.
The difference is a “late bloomer” showing up at Idaho State is usually more plausible than a late bloomer at OSU. Guys who haven’t been able to get on the field for four years at OSU are usually just not OSU level starters.
Zen Michalski is from the class of 2021 and likely the frontrunner right now to start at LT. He's going into his 3rd year with the program so he hasn't exactly been here for very long. The only really tenured guys who have been a career backups for us to date who could be in line to start next year are Fryar and Vimahi (and I only see him taking over at RG if they move Matt Jones inside to center).
I hear you but when munford and NPF locked up 2 tackle spots for 3-4 years I’d say that’s kind of hard to get past. Dawand pushed his way in finally but even PJJ had to wait his turn then start off at guard to get on the field. Those small school late bloomers got to bloom because they wasn’t behind the guys our backups are behind and actually got to play. When our guys play they usually play well. Look at jones once he got on the field and now he’s coming back for a super senior year just to play a second year.
This is not entirely accurate. PJJ started as a true soph. Dawand played in 6 of 8 games his true soph year, including a start. Yes, neither got big minutes as freshman, but they did not wait beyond that. They were not really cases of guys waiting their turn. They forced their way on the field ahead of guys who had been in the program much longer.
I’ve seen it said many times that PJJ was the best/most talented left tackle for the buckeyes since Orlando pace. Can’t disagree. Having said that, we’ve won 2 NC’s since then and none were with pace or PJJ. Sometimes a better line doesn’t mean the most talented.
Wypler played lights out in the back end of the season and Center is a crucial spot… PJJ didn’t play well against scUM, kind of made up for it against UGA… he’ll be a good pro but that’s not the topic here
This is OSU, coach them up and make them starters. Day has been making injury excuses all season. We shouldn't change game plans because 1 person gets hurt. Next man up. That lost them a National Championship
Yep we still had Egbuka, Fleming and Johnson playing. Should of kept going vertical after Harrison got knocked out. UGA either added a blitzer or put the extra guy in coverage after not double teaming Harrison anymore. Don’t sleep on Carnel Tate.
OSU needs to dive into the deep end of the NIL pool. There is plenty of money in Columbus and among the alumni. It is the world college football now lives. To compete with the other big names in college football we have to do it now. When Washington can provide more NIL funds for kids should be a major alarm. When we lose talent to the NFL or transfer portal, we need to be able to replenish on par with other institutions. It's just common sense if you intend to compete in the world we now live in.
Zen will be a LT stud. Anytime you move a guy from TE to tackle and he has the frame to be 315-320.... man it is going to be awesome. He was a stud athlete as a TE and that helps transition into the LT position... will be much harder for an edge player to get around a guy as athletic as he is. In Zen we trust!!
That's how winners play. We convince the other guy he's making all the right moves.
Keeping 2 starters will certainly help. Turnover happens. Having experience rewarded us with a playoff birth. Only way to gain experience is with turnover and playing time.
Christman, Tshabola, and Vimahi were all Top 10 recruits at their respective positions. Unless of course, the recruiting profiles don't mean much. Nah, that could never happen per the 5-star lovers on this site.
Way too many ifs with project type linemen. Frye will really be earning his salary this spring and maybe there will be some good surprises from some of these linemen or we will be in some serious trouble up front. Wypler leaving is a serious blow.
The OSU brain trust better figure out how to fix the holes on the O-line for 2023 through development or the portal or it won't matter how many rb's return as well as to keep our young qb's upright! The "staff" has a lotta work to do!
I mean, I agree they need to figure this out. But whether they do or not isn’t going to impact my interest in the team. I’ll still follow them but I will also call out where they could or should have improved. But they don’t listen to the fans and ultimately, they gotta want to improve on their own.
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
I’m not sure coach Frye could of had a rougher first year. No transfers and a center who won’t be drafted til 4th round going pro. But at least coach Day hired a buddy
Well the one tackle who they were going after from WAZZU decided on USC. I don’t know if the guy is from the west coast but I’d bet NIL in Los Angeles had something to do with it.
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
The biggest problem is the lack of depth. Other than Fryar, the rest of the 2019 class hasn't even made the field. Toutant, James, and Leroux are looking like busts. I haven't heard a peep about Christman and Michalski has shown some upside. There is going to be some growing pains this upcoming season and luckily we have 3 easy games to evaluate the pecking order. That's why we need at least 2 veteran linemen so the younger players can have time to develop.
Whats the point of recruiting these young men if you dont ever play them, if you dont trust your coaches to develop them then you need to replace your high priced assistants.
Bad recruiting here will catch up to us the next to years. People can tell themselves what ever they want but having less 4&5 star talent is never a good thing when playing teams like Bama and UGA for a title
Replacing Jones and Johnson was going to be hard enough, but losing Wypler is going to obviously make things even harder now. Wypler was a very underrated player at OSU. He’s going to have a long successful career in the NFL. I’m not as worried as some about the OL next season, but it’s hard to think you won’t take a step back after losing the top LT, top Center, and a 2-3 round RT to the draft.
Theres lots of options and combinations on the OL. Not landing any OL out of the portal was an epic failure, it would be nice to get a guy in here with experience whether that’s a center, guard or tackle. I really like Tshabola and Hinzman inside. One of those guys will start IMO. Zen has all the tools to be a dominant LT, he just has to keep putting in the work. I’m really happy all the freshman are enrolling early. I don’t expect any of them to play meaningful snaps this coming season. But it’s a jump start into their development and will pay off in a huge way in a few years.
Frye certainly has his work cut out for him. The tools to have a solid OL are there. It’s up to him to find the best 5 guys and move them around if needed. Moving forward we have to start recruiting top level talent at tackle every single class.
Oline is the major concern. it was CB, but I think oline jumps over that position group. Lots of unproven dudes to fill some holes. Opportunity to swim or sink. Time will tell.
For me, this is exactly why it's important to get the younger guys consistent PT.. playing your starters until there is 3 mins on the clock when your up by 30+ points is hurting your depth IMO..time to see if Frye is gonna earn his keep, we may be surprised though!
I agree. I hope they atleast spot fill a guy or two early in the second half when we have a decent lead to get guys some PT with the ones. Doesn’t have to be the whole second string at once.
I 100% on playing time. We kept the starters in way too deep into lopsided wins - sometimes late into 4th quarter. McCord hardly got to throw and the young lineman played basically less than 100 snaps. I do wonder if it was because Day wanted Stroud to get his stats toward his Heisman campaign. Good and bad aspects of that strategy.
I think it was more about having 2-3 new receivers as well. Building that chemistry for later in the year. I’d like to see more rotation in the receiver room as well. I don’t buy the heisman stat padding stuff too much. That offense was breaking in a lot of new parts
Dan I think you have the pre-season 1st team right at this point. Keep an eye out for Luke not as a starter but as someone who will get snaps for sure.
Going to find out quick what the Buckeyes have in the OL stable. One thing is for sure, you can't throw the football to these great receivers running for your life or from your backside.
If we don't get a transfer, here's the lineup I'd like to see: LT-D. Jackson, LG-B. Christman, C-M. Jones, RG-T. Tshabola, & RT-J. Fryar. Vimahi and Michalski can be the super-subs.
That starting lineup has a lot of questions, but I think it gives this team the highest ceiling. It might look like 2015, where early struggles gave way to a dominant unit in the last 4 games of the year.
Not as bad as it sounds, assuming they move Jackson to LT, and Jones to C, and Fryar takes over RT as assumed. Then you have three proven linemen in the most important technical positions on the line. Granted, Jackson and Jones are proven as guards, but there is reason to believe both can transition to these "new" positions. Me, I'd plug Tegra in at RG and let him just road grade, and either Christman or Enokk at LG. These three guys were all highly ranked coming in to OSU. 2nd year, Tegra especially should be playing, too many natural gifts and guard is a great place for his size and skill set—to start.
Or you can leave Jones at RG and let Jakob James play C if he proves the better option there in Spring Ball. But I'd still try to work Tegra in at LG.
Let the current recruits step up to the challenge. Exactly NONE of them were going to get any significant time in front of Paris Johnson, Dawand Jones, or Luke Wypler. Experience will be gained in practice (as a 1) and then on the field. Bringing in portal guys is a recipe for losing your current locker room. There are plenty of bodies to fill the vacancies. Let them play.
We have Fryar, Hall, and Jackson. I'm confident the coaching staff can find two dudes to fill the other two spots. This is Ohio State, not some flash in the pan MSU team that got by with a year full of portal mercenaries.
Losing guys to the draft is the norm. Recruit. Develop. Fill. Repeat.
I'm quite confident that as long as Ryan Day is our coach, he will have one of college football's best offenses. Losing players to the transfer portal or the NFL draft has happened every year at OSU. Despite this reality, the Buckeyes' offense has remained elite.
Ohio State will have a good O-line and I'm not really worried about it.
"If Ohio State firmly believed it had two ready-to-start offensive tackles on its roster right now, it wouldn’t have offered as many transfer offensive tackles as it has. With Kingston off the board, however, there are no longer any obvious candidates in the portal to come to Ohio State as candidates to start immediately."
Do Not agree with this, Ohio state only has about 5 true Tackles on the Roster, Josh Fryar is listed as an Interior Offensive Lineman. They will always take 2-4 Tackles if they meet the criteria and of those 4 prob take 1 or 2 that are developmental. Recruiting of teams are on a set plan they very seldom change due to needs. If they get an abundance of players that are really highly regarded such as the WR's they take them.
Spring Transfers at OLine or on Defense are usually bad 2nd team'rs or 3rd team'rs not many quality players on the 2 deep at these positions leave unless there are extreme conditions.
There are certainly questions about the o-line. But while we did not have much depth we did have a couple of back-ups who played without too great a drop-off, and I'll hope that some of the guys who did not see the field at all was because the players ahead of them did not need to be subbed out and those untested Buckeyes can play. Which is why I think the group with the biggest question is our defensive secondary. No one who saw the field this year played consistently at the needed level. And if the guys who did not play were even worse that unit could be trouble again next year.
Has Trey Leroux left the team? IIRC, he held a scholarship roster spot this past year. Both he & Toutant may be better served elsewhere which could give OSU a chance at a top Transfer, although I'm concerned with how Frye comes off with recruits.
How in the world is the 10 or 12th guy on the depth chart keeping us from getting transfers that want to start?? Lol they offered guys a scholarship so it’s not because of numbers that they didn’t get them. Good lord smh
AHHHH The Transfer Portal !! Dude the Portal prob has 3 Tackles that OSU could actually use! They went elsewhere. Why do these FANS think there is jut talent oozing out of the Transfer Portal? I highly doubt that any of the players left in the portal are any better than we have. LOL
Guys like leroux in iowa would never be heard of for 3-4 years then play well and we would all say how does iowa keep having good o lines? That’s how. Slow development
Coach him up, keep him in the weight room and get him to where he can positively contribute. It's a step up for him but he can see The League from here so let's hope he's motivated and blossoms under the support and guidance of the program. I wish him the best.
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Obviously a lot of new names, but lots of names that have multiple years in the program which is not bad.
This is all up to Justin Frye, can he develop that next group to eventually be better than the group that came before it?
The Excellence of Execution, the Best there is, the Best there was, the Best there ever will be!
I don't get a lot of warm fuzzies about the next group up but I'm going to reserve judgement. There seem to be a lot of projects from Indiana which, in at least one case thus far, turned out all right. The largely blue-chip OL this year proved it could stand toe to toe with GA but it's going to take a lot of overachieving for the next group to do the same. Here's to overachieving.
Fortitudine Vincimus
Every team for sure goes through this sort of thing, ESPECIALLY with OL.
If Frye is worth his money he should get those guys ready and have them playing at a high level next year. Will there be some drop off? Well... Obviously... It's very hard to replace guys that are as good as PJJ, Dawand Jones, and Wypler... But Matt Jones moving to the middle relieves some of the concern, Donovan Jackson will be +1 more year in... If Frye can get it done as a high level OL coach he'll prove it next year.
The Excellence of Execution, the Best there is, the Best there was, the Best there ever will be!
Was hoping Hinzman would be in the 2-deep but guess we can say that about a lot of players
JTNYC
I think hinzman can and will move up the depth chart. Whether it’s this coming season or the next will be the question.
OSU seems to have more really good options on the interior. If Jackson can play LT more effectively than Michaelski, that may be the play, and backfill the guard position with Tshabola or Christman who are borderline top 100 overall recruits.
Still am surprised OSU didn't work the portal better - the chance to transfer into OSU and start at tackle for a top 5 team that is sending two tackles into the NFL seems like a very enticing opportunity.
Or go block the blindside for the reigning Heisman winning QB... in SoCal
Never been a fan of moving kids around, would much prefer keeping Jackson and Jones at their guard positions to give stability to both sides of the line, and then build around them. That puts every new starter next to a vet.
You star moving people to tackle, and then you could have up to 3 new guys playing next to each other..
Build off the guards imo..
Go Bucks!!!
I'm pretty sure center is Matt Jones's preferred and more natural position. Plus it benefits having one of your more experienced guys at center at since the center is responsible for calling out protections before the snap (something Wypler occasionally struggled with in 2021).
11 Strong.
Sure, I get that, but he wasn't the backup center, Jakob James was the backup. I'd just prefer leaving the guards alone, slot in Jakob James at center, and then round it out with 2 of Fryar, Michalski and Vimahi... and of course don't sleep on Montgomery. I just love the idea of 3 new guys all being next to guys who started this season.
Jones was the #1 center in his class, and for whatever reason we've never wanted to play him there.. He's been solid ( when healthy) at guard..
Jones hasn't played center in 5 years..
Why rock the boat..
Go Bucks!!!
Jones has been here since 2018. In that timeframe we've started Michael Jordan (who wasn't great but we weren't realistically going to start Jones at center when he was a true freshman), Josh Myers (second round pick and currently the starting center for the Packers), Harry Miller (for one game in 2020 due to multiple starting linemen testing positive for COVID), and Wypler (probably a 2nd round pick at this point) at center. He hasn't played there because we haven't needed him to play there. Jones has been the starting RG for the past two seasons. This coming season we're going to need him to play there (I have no doubt part of the reason he's returning is because Wypler just declared, if Wypler had decided to return I think Jones either would've declared or hit the portal to go someplace where he can play center).
11 Strong.
Your argument makes much more sense.
The guys we have we need to get on the juice and HGH extra hard this year.
Bound to be an interesting offseason. Losing majority of our experience offensive line and a new starter at QB. Would appear to me that Brown is the better option due to mobility if there are struggles with the line early. Who knows this could be an upgrade in run blocking vs what we've seen past two season though.
I love the young guys battling for open spots. That’s always brought out the best of ones we just don’t know about. It’s just different when they know a spot is actually up for grabs.
Pretty Pthetic to go 0-4 on Transfer Portal Oline. I understand not offering NIL packages to incoming freshman..but they absolutely should for transfer portal additions.
Gatt_Daddy
I think it was reported that it was more about not offering guaranteed starting jobs. Competing was too much to ask I guess. I agree with day.
Kingston would've been the starting LT if he had come here so why would that be his excuse? My guess is A) USC's NIL is better than ours atm and that made up part of his mind for him and B) he's a West Coast kid and wanted to stay out on the West Coast.
11 Strong.
Yes according to you but maybe the coaches worded it different. I’d say NIL and being from California played a role in that one but they didn’t all stay in their home state. I bet we hear jahad Carter say he wasn’t promised anything but a chance even tho it’s expected that he’ll start at nickle safety.
I don't think any coach can guarantee a starting job. An obvious con job and lie if they do.
I wish there was more scoop on this -- I feel like we're having little misses here and there that could add up into big time issues down the road. We have one top 100 OL commit this year and a few other 4-stars, but we're a long way from landing the likes of Donovan Jackson and Paris Johnson in consecutive years.
I sure hope Zen can take that next step. We will need him if he's penciled on as the LT.
I won't be surprised to see Jakob James land a starting spot (whether it's at C or RG).
Depends on if they move Matt Jones inside to center or not. If they do I see Vimahi taking over at RG and James would likely be a depth piece again next year.
11 Strong.
Love linemen whose name ends with ends with SKI!!
Love lineman who will play at any position needed.
Is it just a poor read on my part or did Dawaand Jones make a point to not thank the fans in his Twitter announcement this afternoon?
Dawand Jones doesn't owe the fans a damn thing.
He may not "owe" them,but the fans are who make his 'job' a reality. No fans no football. Football is entertainment,nothing more.
Joe Swartz
Calm down Fritzie, of course posters understand the difference between SHOULD and SHALL.
Sani
For the record I am not saying he owes the fans anything. Just an observation that the way his “thank you” message read seemed to purposefully exclude fans. It’s unusual - I have no idea if there is some backstory I have missed.
Dawand Jones! What a strange recruiting journey. It all started when there was disappointment when we "settled" for a 1043rd ranked player and the 85th ranked OT out of HS after some misses in the recruiting cycle. But now we would all be flipping cartwheels if he were to return.
Not all of us, I wish him well and thank him for his time but Fryar should’ve been in there.
Agreed, Jones just doesn’t have good mobility imo. He needed to get his weight down, and he did but looks like he put it all back on again.In todays game anymore than 2 starting years out 3 only hurts the roster,unless we are talking about someone like CJ or Harrison.
MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS
False start on the cartwheels. Backup and try again.
Too many worries about the o line. Every single star on the o line today was at one point in the same shoes as the guys who are preparing to compete for starting spots next year. Ryan Day has made me question his decision making in some areas, but offensive performance is not one. We will be FINE..they have an entire offseason to sort out who will lead the Buckeye offensive line.
Not exactly. Wypler was considered a near sure-fire interior OL prospect from day 1. PJJ was a prototype LT who literally everyone wanted and was as close to college ready as any OL prospect can be coming out of high school. So yes, they were in a position where they had to earn a starting spot, but they were starting from a spot that was WELL ahead of what the current guys are dealing. The guys on the current roster don't have the physical gifts or natural talent that PJJ or Wypler came in with.
Donovan Jackson does (he was a 5-star recruit for a reason). Granted we've already seen a year of excellent play out of him at LG so he's the least of our worries going into next season. Obviously O-line recruiting hasn't been up to par in recent years but we do have talent at that position (even if it's not all 5-star talent). Montgomery is going to be an absolute stud at some point (though I don't expect to see much of him next year as a true freshman) and guys like Fryar, Zen, James, Hinzman, and Tshabola have a lot of potential and talent as well. Hell, I'd argue in the one game Fryar started at RT last year (Indiana) he looked almost better than Dawand. I don't think we have to worry about him at RT. LT is what I'm most concerned about.
11 Strong.
I think Fryar looked good against Indiana, but that's not saying a ton. I think he might turn out to be an All Big Ten-level, but that's a big might. Will he hold up in the playoffs against elite DLs? And agreed on LT, but I think it's a borderline disaster right now. New QB with LT options that are completely inexperienced and have average athletic upside... I'm sure they'll also do well against Indiana, but I have 2006 flashbacks of unathletic tackles going against elite DLs.
I don’t see how transfer guys from Idaho state and other like schools are seen as the answer either. They wasn’t matched up with the elite competition in most cases. We are OSU. I’ll take our chances with OSU players developing.
The difference is a “late bloomer” showing up at Idaho State is usually more plausible than a late bloomer at OSU. Guys who haven’t been able to get on the field for four years at OSU are usually just not OSU level starters.
Zen Michalski is from the class of 2021 and likely the frontrunner right now to start at LT. He's going into his 3rd year with the program so he hasn't exactly been here for very long. The only really tenured guys who have been a career backups for us to date who could be in line to start next year are Fryar and Vimahi (and I only see him taking over at RG if they move Matt Jones inside to center).
11 Strong.
I hear you but when munford and NPF locked up 2 tackle spots for 3-4 years I’d say that’s kind of hard to get past. Dawand pushed his way in finally but even PJJ had to wait his turn then start off at guard to get on the field. Those small school late bloomers got to bloom because they wasn’t behind the guys our backups are behind and actually got to play. When our guys play they usually play well. Look at jones once he got on the field and now he’s coming back for a super senior year just to play a second year.
This is not entirely accurate. PJJ started as a true soph. Dawand played in 6 of 8 games his true soph year, including a start. Yes, neither got big minutes as freshman, but they did not wait beyond that. They were not really cases of guys waiting their turn. They forced their way on the field ahead of guys who had been in the program much longer.
I’m willing to bet that our OL actually improves next year. I like a lot of the younger guys better. Losing Wypler hurts the most.
What?? Losing Paris Johnson Jr. hurts the most, and it's not even close. There is no tackle on our team that is anywhere close to him.
I’ve seen it said many times that PJJ was the best/most talented left tackle for the buckeyes since Orlando pace. Can’t disagree. Having said that, we’ve won 2 NC’s since then and none were with pace or PJJ. Sometimes a better line doesn’t mean the most talented.
Mad we were not expecting to lose Wypler... Everyone knew that Paris was gone.
That's how winners play. We convince the other guy he's making all the right moves.
Wypler played lights out in the back end of the season and Center is a crucial spot… PJJ didn’t play well against scUM, kind of made up for it against UGA… he’ll be a good pro but that’s not the topic here
Season of FUF. Fyre Under Fire.
Justice delayed is justice denied....#FTP
This is OSU, coach them up and make them starters. Day has been making injury excuses all season. We shouldn't change game plans because 1 person gets hurt. Next man up. That lost them a National Championship
"Love my State, hate the football"
Yep we still had Egbuka, Fleming and Johnson playing. Should of kept going vertical after Harrison got knocked out. UGA either added a blitzer or put the extra guy in coverage after not double teaming Harrison anymore. Don’t sleep on Carnel Tate.
MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS
OSU needs to dive into the deep end of the NIL pool. There is plenty of money in Columbus and among the alumni. It is the world college football now lives. To compete with the other big names in college football we have to do it now. When Washington can provide more NIL funds for kids should be a major alarm. When we lose talent to the NFL or transfer portal, we need to be able to replenish on par with other institutions. It's just common sense if you intend to compete in the world we now live in.
gordon hinsch
Whoever is running the NIL department needs to get their s#$% together.
Zen Michalski would be a calming influence on the O line.
ISWYDT
Zen will be a LT stud. Anytime you move a guy from TE to tackle and he has the frame to be 315-320.... man it is going to be awesome. He was a stud athlete as a TE and that helps transition into the LT position... will be much harder for an edge player to get around a guy as athletic as he is. In Zen we trust!!
That's how winners play. We convince the other guy he's making all the right moves.
We need to hit a couple home runs!!! We need a lot of help to get some portal additions!!!
It’s amazing how smaller school 2 stars are seen as home runs over OSU recruited players lol it’s only because of playing time.
My guess is the portal offers for the most part was for experienced depth first with hopes they could compete for starting jobs...
Exactly. Day uses the portal to get experience when it’s lacking. It’s less about talent and more about experience.
Next portal window is in May
MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS
Keeping 2 starters will certainly help. Turnover happens. Having experience rewarded us with a playoff birth. Only way to gain experience is with turnover and playing time.
Or portal additions……nowadays
Christman, Tshabola, and Vimahi were all Top 10 recruits at their respective positions. Unless of course, the recruiting profiles don't mean much. Nah, that could never happen per the 5-star lovers on this site.
OSUAlumInAZ
I’m pretty sure he was a 5* star after his junior year and was lowered after all the summer camps preceding his senior season.
MICHIGAN STILL SUCKS
Way too many ifs with project type linemen. Frye will really be earning his salary this spring and maybe there will be some good surprises from some of these linemen or we will be in some serious trouble up front. Wypler leaving is a serious blow.
Hasn't attracted a single transfer...colr me skeptical.
Justice delayed is justice denied....#FTP
We went from starting 4 tackles to having no tackles in 3 years (2 years?). Amazing.
The OSU brain trust better figure out how to fix the holes on the O-line for 2023 through development or the portal or it won't matter how many rb's return as well as to keep our young qb's upright! The "staff" has a lotta work to do!
http://URLWoody 1
I mean, I agree they need to figure this out. But whether they do or not isn’t going to impact my interest in the team. I’ll still follow them but I will also call out where they could or should have improved. But they don’t listen to the fans and ultimately, they gotta want to improve on their own.
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
What's the Problem? We have plenty of bodies that have been waiting their turn. Use our recruits, screw the portal!
Story is, they’re not quite ready.
Naaaayyyy!!!!
I’m not sure coach Frye could of had a rougher first year. No transfers and a center who won’t be drafted til 4th round going pro. But at least coach Day hired a buddy
Go Bucks
Well the one tackle who they were going after from WAZZU decided on USC. I don’t know if the guy is from the west coast but I’d bet NIL in Los Angeles had something to do with it.
When telling the truth becomes a revolutionary concept, it’s wise to join the revolution
He is. He's from northern California.
11 Strong.
The biggest problem is the lack of depth. Other than Fryar, the rest of the 2019 class hasn't even made the field. Toutant, James, and Leroux are looking like busts. I haven't heard a peep about Christman and Michalski has shown some upside. There is going to be some growing pains this upcoming season and luckily we have 3 easy games to evaluate the pecking order. That's why we need at least 2 veteran linemen so the younger players can have time to develop.
Whats the point of recruiting these young men if you dont ever play them, if you dont trust your coaches to develop them then you need to replace your high priced assistants.
Bad recruiting here will catch up to us the next to years. People can tell themselves what ever they want but having less 4&5 star talent is never a good thing when playing teams like Bama and UGA for a title
Replacing Jones and Johnson was going to be hard enough, but losing Wypler is going to obviously make things even harder now. Wypler was a very underrated player at OSU. He’s going to have a long successful career in the NFL. I’m not as worried as some about the OL next season, but it’s hard to think you won’t take a step back after losing the top LT, top Center, and a 2-3 round RT to the draft.
Theres lots of options and combinations on the OL. Not landing any OL out of the portal was an epic failure, it would be nice to get a guy in here with experience whether that’s a center, guard or tackle. I really like Tshabola and Hinzman inside. One of those guys will start IMO. Zen has all the tools to be a dominant LT, he just has to keep putting in the work. I’m really happy all the freshman are enrolling early. I don’t expect any of them to play meaningful snaps this coming season. But it’s a jump start into their development and will pay off in a huge way in a few years.
Frye certainly has his work cut out for him. The tools to have a solid OL are there. It’s up to him to find the best 5 guys and move them around if needed. Moving forward we have to start recruiting top level talent at tackle every single class.
Sorry but I just don’t see Luke Montgomery being a tackle in college. I might be wrong but he seems more like a guard or center in college.
Oline is the major concern. it was CB, but I think oline jumps over that position group. Lots of unproven dudes to fill some holes. Opportunity to swim or sink. Time will tell.
Muck Fichigan
For me, this is exactly why it's important to get the younger guys consistent PT.. playing your starters until there is 3 mins on the clock when your up by 30+ points is hurting your depth IMO..time to see if Frye is gonna earn his keep, we may be surprised though!
I agree. I hope they atleast spot fill a guy or two early in the second half when we have a decent lead to get guys some PT with the ones. Doesn’t have to be the whole second string at once.
I 100% on playing time. We kept the starters in way too deep into lopsided wins - sometimes late into 4th quarter. McCord hardly got to throw and the young lineman played basically less than 100 snaps. I do wonder if it was because Day wanted Stroud to get his stats toward his Heisman campaign. Good and bad aspects of that strategy.
It's supposed to be a team sport..bad look for a head coach if that were the case..
I think it was more about having 2-3 new receivers as well. Building that chemistry for later in the year. I’d like to see more rotation in the receiver room as well. I don’t buy the heisman stat padding stuff too much. That offense was breaking in a lot of new parts
Dan I think you have the pre-season 1st team right at this point. Keep an eye out for Luke not as a starter but as someone who will get snaps for sure.
Kieren
Going to find out quick what the Buckeyes have in the OL stable. One thing is for sure, you can't throw the football to these great receivers running for your life or from your backside.
Try not to suck
Agree...very, very difficult to throw while you are on your ass and if neither of those 2 QBs has any innate quick of feet.....
Days prime characteristic he wants in o linemen is pass blocking. I doubt that these guys can’t atleast be adequate in that department.
Day kept Studrawa around too long and now we're seeing in the lack of depth, especially after some recruiting misses the last few years.
Gotta wonder if we'll see a transfer via the portal in the next week or two.
What, are you trying to be an Irish R&B singer??
If we don't get a transfer, here's the lineup I'd like to see: LT-D. Jackson, LG-B. Christman, C-M. Jones, RG-T. Tshabola, & RT-J. Fryar. Vimahi and Michalski can be the super-subs.
That starting lineup has a lot of questions, but I think it gives this team the highest ceiling. It might look like 2015, where early struggles gave way to a dominant unit in the last 4 games of the year.
Not as bad as it sounds, assuming they move Jackson to LT, and Jones to C, and Fryar takes over RT as assumed. Then you have three proven linemen in the most important technical positions on the line. Granted, Jackson and Jones are proven as guards, but there is reason to believe both can transition to these "new" positions. Me, I'd plug Tegra in at RG and let him just road grade, and either Christman or Enokk at LG. These three guys were all highly ranked coming in to OSU. 2nd year, Tegra especially should be playing, too many natural gifts and guard is a great place for his size and skill set—to start.
Or you can leave Jones at RG and let Jakob James play C if he proves the better option there in Spring Ball. But I'd still try to work Tegra in at LG.
Let the current recruits step up to the challenge. Exactly NONE of them were going to get any significant time in front of Paris Johnson, Dawand Jones, or Luke Wypler. Experience will be gained in practice (as a 1) and then on the field. Bringing in portal guys is a recipe for losing your current locker room. There are plenty of bodies to fill the vacancies. Let them play.
We have Fryar, Hall, and Jackson. I'm confident the coaching staff can find two dudes to fill the other two spots. This is Ohio State, not some flash in the pan MSU team that got by with a year full of portal mercenaries.
Losing guys to the draft is the norm. Recruit. Develop. Fill. Repeat.
R E L A X
Go Bucks!
Who's Hall?
I'm quite confident that as long as Ryan Day is our coach, he will have one of college football's best offenses. Losing players to the transfer portal or the NFL draft has happened every year at OSU. Despite this reality, the Buckeyes' offense has remained elite.
Ohio State will have a good O-line and I'm not really worried about it.
The Right Tackle spot is not settled by any means! I look for this to create some great competition
"If Ohio State firmly believed it had two ready-to-start offensive tackles on its roster right now, it wouldn’t have offered as many transfer offensive tackles as it has. With Kingston off the board, however, there are no longer any obvious candidates in the portal to come to Ohio State as candidates to start immediately."
Do Not agree with this, Ohio state only has about 5 true Tackles on the Roster, Josh Fryar is listed as an Interior Offensive Lineman. They will always take 2-4 Tackles if they meet the criteria and of those 4 prob take 1 or 2 that are developmental. Recruiting of teams are on a set plan they very seldom change due to needs. If they get an abundance of players that are really highly regarded such as the WR's they take them.
OLE', OLE". OLE' OLE'. The OLE' non-block is back in style.
Days BS excuse about respect for the other team in blow outs cost these younger lineman valuable experience. Idiotic decision.
A fan since the Randy Gradishar days
Spring Transfers at OLine or on Defense are usually bad 2nd team'rs or 3rd team'rs not many quality players on the 2 deep at these positions leave unless there are extreme conditions.
There are certainly questions about the o-line. But while we did not have much depth we did have a couple of back-ups who played without too great a drop-off, and I'll hope that some of the guys who did not see the field at all was because the players ahead of them did not need to be subbed out and those untested Buckeyes can play. Which is why I think the group with the biggest question is our defensive secondary. No one who saw the field this year played consistently at the needed level. And if the guys who did not play were even worse that unit could be trouble again next year.
This group scares me, and this is where Coach Stud let us down with depth. Let's hope they jell or could be a rough season.
Has Trey Leroux left the team? IIRC, he held a scholarship roster spot this past year. Both he & Toutant may be better served elsewhere which could give OSU a chance at a top Transfer, although I'm concerned with how Frye comes off with recruits.
How in the world is the 10 or 12th guy on the depth chart keeping us from getting transfers that want to start?? Lol they offered guys a scholarship so it’s not because of numbers that they didn’t get them. Good lord smh
AHHHH The Transfer Portal !! Dude the Portal prob has 3 Tackles that OSU could actually use! They went elsewhere. Why do these FANS think there is jut talent oozing out of the Transfer Portal? I highly doubt that any of the players left in the portal are any better than we have. LOL
I guess Trey Leroux isn't developing the way we were hoping? I was hoping to see his name mentioned.
Guys like leroux in iowa would never be heard of for 3-4 years then play well and we would all say how does iowa keep having good o lines? That’s how. Slow development
Played in small high school league. He was a real reach when recruited because we had missed on so many targets.
Coach him up, keep him in the weight room and get him to where he can positively contribute. It's a step up for him but he can see The League from here so let's hope he's motivated and blossoms under the support and guidance of the program. I wish him the best.