Buckeye spring preview: Ohio State football’s interior offensive line can lead to rushing wealth
J.K. Dobbins’ 2,000 yards of rushes in 2019? Many of them trailed the unrelenting advance of Wyatt Davis, Josh Myers, and Jonah Jackson. By the way, that’s a consensus All-American and two NFL starters.
With TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, the Buckeyes have the running back talent to put up those yards once more. This spring, the question of whether they have the offensive line core to guide them there will start to emerge.
Put in a coaching position
Third-year student Justin Frye. Frye has more control over his 2024 performance after spending the first two seasons attempting to address certain issues he inherited.
Who departed?
After his fifth season, of which he started the final two, Matt Jones advanced to the NFL Draft. After coming from Louisiana Monroe, Vic Cutler played one season as the backup center before leaving once more to join Louisville. Jakob James, who was previously discussed as a backup center, moved to Toledo. Trey Leroux made the decision to give up football in order to pursue other interests.
Who comes back?
Donovan Jackson decided to stay for an assumed third season as the starting left guard after thinking about entering the NFL Draft. Enokk Vimahi is still on track to contribute another year of seasoned depth, despite a rare start in the Cotton Bowl. As a redshirt freshman, Carson Hinzman started every game at center during the regular season before being benched for the bowl game.
Tegra Tshabola participated in the Cotton Bowl as the sixth offensive lineman in the Bison package, but he was unable to break into the starting lineup despite trying out at both guard and tackle during preseason camp. Austin Siereveld and Joshua Padilla are both expected to compete for positions on the two deep teams as they begin their redshirt freshman seasons.
Who took part?
Seth McLaughlin, a two-year starter for Alabama, started the current wave of former Crimson Tide players who transferred to OSU. Along with other freshman from the 2024 class, Devontae Armstrong enrolled early. Gabe Van Sickle, another three-star prospect, is expected to join this summer.
Last season, McLaughlin had repeated snap problems while playing for Alabama. He’ll probably start the season as the starting center if he can fix them. If not, he might emerge as the top choice at right guard. This position group will conclude the spring with more confidence than it did a year ago if McLaughlin performs well this spring.
Requires a springtime breakthrough
The fact that OSU did not have a more seasoned center to start the season was not Hinzman’s fault. The choice Luke Wypler made to enter the NFL Draft further revealed depth-related problems. Nevertheless, it’s obvious that he lost favor during bowl season. By capitalizing on that year of experience, he can regain some of it this spring.
most fascinating recent arrival
OSU requested assistance with the transfer portal a year ago, but they only received five applications. If McLaughlin locks down center, his arrival might have an impact further down the line.
best possible springtime result
steadiness. Does McLaughlin resemble the man he will be in 2022? Does someone make the right transition from choice to solution? Rather than a lack of trust in any of the possibilities, if the latter cannot be resolved until preseason camp, it should represent a genuine beginning battle that is still too close to call.