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2021 tOSU Offense

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Most likely, though, Ohio State won’t know exactly what its starting offensive line will look like this season until some point in August. Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere are locked in as the starting offensive tackles, but the interior offensive line competition will likely extend into the summer with Enokk Vimahi, Ryan Jacoby and Luke Wypler also among those who could factor into the battle for starting spots along with Johnson, Matthew Jones, Dawand Jones and Miller.

Ideally, Ohio State will come out of spring with at least seven or eight total offensive linemen who it’s confident can start as needed this year, which would give the Buckeyes reason to feel good about their depth.

“We’ve gotta find the best five, and in my opinion, we always need eight. You need a third tackle you can win with … you need a third guard you can win with, and you need that second center. And maybe that guard and center is the same guy. So we need seven or eight,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Friday. “The key would be in time, though, who’s the best five? I don’t know if that shakes out until the middle of the preseason, to tell you the truth. But very talented, very athletic. Maybe the most competitive group on offense right now.”
 
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  • On the running backs: "It's a great room." He says he has a "great group of kids." He mentions they all come from good homes and are competitive. "Highly competitive, but a very unselfish room."
  • If they'll use a multi-back system or not: "We're going to do whatever we need to do to win games."
  • Alford says if a game was played tomorrow, Teague would be the starter since he's the incumbent. But there'll be plenty of competition. "Guys are going to get their opportunities."
  • He says he doesn't think it's fair to put pressure on somebody like Henderson by comparing him every step of the way to J.K. Dobbins.
  • Alford says he prides himself on having honest conversations with his players. "We'll have those conversations when they're needed to be had."
  • He says Teague's ability to make plays in space is an area for him to work on this spring.
  • On the run-blocking on the offensive line: "I think we have a chance to be elite there."
  • He says Henderson and Pryor are both "extremely coachable." ... "They're hungry to learn."
  • Alford says during the Alabama game that Crowley apologized to him because he said he knew at that moment he wasn't ready. "He's had a really good focus. I'm really excited to see what he does. Marcus has got a lot of talent."
  • The guys who are "consistently great over the course of time" will separate themselves from the pack in the backfield, he says.
  • "This is a fun group to be around. I'm blessed with the types of kids that are in that room."
  • Alford says the competition in the backfield is all about putting guys in competitive situations.
  • On if there's any chance Steele Chambers could move to linebacker: "I've heard that speculation. I don't know where it came from. It didn't come out of this office." Alford says Chambers has "looked really good. The biggest thing I want Steele to do is to exude self-confidence." Chambers is a perfectionist.
  • He says he doesn't think Teague was 100 percent healthy at the beginning of the 2020 season but was fully healthy by the end of the season. "To come back from that injury the way he did, a lot of guys couldn't pull that off." Alford says Teague is both somewhat of a genetic freak and also a great worker.
  • On the quarterbacks: "What I have seen from outside the room watching them is they're all highly competitive guys."
 
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Just a week and a half into spring practices, Washington doesn’t have a depth chart locked in. He joked with the media a week ago that reporters might be able to set one easier than he could.

It appears that two of the three spots have leaders to secure the openings – Teradja Mitchell at weakside linebacker and Dallas Gant at middle linebacker – while strongside linebacker remains an unknown. Mitchell and Gant have waited their turns, making them top candidates to take over at the second level of the defense. Nothing at this point, however, is official. Injuries and inexperience make the linebacker situation subject to change, which Washington knows better than anyone.

Because Mitchell hasn’t started a game in his Ohio State career, because Gant will miss the entirety of spring camp with a foot injury and because there’s a big hole at Sam, the underclassmen on this Ohio State roster are staring at a prime opportunity to rise up the depth chart and secure starting or rotational roles.

These chances don’t come along every year. Mitchell, Gant and K’Vaughan Pope are now seniors after having sat behind upperclassmen every single year up until this point. They never saw so much turnover before now.

So, with Mitchell, Gant and Pope now as the upperclassmen, it’ll be up to Craig Young, Cody Simon, Mitchell Melton, Tommy Eichenberg or Reid Carrico to take advantage of a rare opportunity sitting in front of them. Tony Alford, the running backs coach, said the tailbacks need to “show the staff that we have to play you,” and Washington’s delivering a similar message to his freshman and sophomore linebackers.

“This is the evolution of football, especially in college,” Washington said. “This is why they come to Ohio State. This is what it's about. Next guy's up. Take advantage of your opportunity, believe in yourself and compete, and every day identify the things that you need to improve on.”
 
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ScriptOhio said:


Most likely, though, Ohio State won’t know exactly what its starting offensive line will look like this season until some point in August. Thayer Munford and Nicholas Petit-Frere are locked in as the starting offensive tackles, but the interior offensive line competition will likely extend into the summer with Enokk Vimahi, Ryan Jacoby and Luke Wypler also among those who could factor into the battle for starting spots along with Johnson, Matthew Jones, Dawand Jones and Miller.

Ideally, Ohio State will come out of spring with at least seven or eight total offensive linemen who it’s confident can start as needed this year, which would give the Buckeyes reason to feel good about their depth.

“We’ve gotta find the best five, and in my opinion, we always need eight. You need a third tackle you can win with … you need a third guard you can win with, and you need that second center. And maybe that guard and center is the same guy. So we need seven or eight,” Ohio State offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Friday. “The key would be in time, though, who’s the best five? I don’t know if that shakes out until the middle of the preseason, to tell you the truth. But very talented, very athletic. Maybe the most competitive group on offense right now.”
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Miller is sidelined for the spring with what Lettermen Row sources described as a labrum issue. With Miller on the shelf, the Buckeyes have an ongoing competition to replace him for the spring — and maybe into the preseason.

“Repping right now at center is Matt Jones, Luke Wypler and Jakob James,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Monday. “But when Harry gets back, he could easily move into center. We’ve had some other guys taking snaps along the way that can do it as well. We’ll look for the best five guys and make it work from there.

So far, I have to give Matt credit. He has done a nice job in there. He has done a really good job, and he hasn’t done a whole bunch of that leading into the season. Luke’s had a pretty good offseason. He’s gotten stronger. That’s been great because he’s another guy who really needs a spring. And then I have to give Jakob credit. Jakob did a really great job this offseason growing up and getting stronger. Still a long way to go for a lot of these guys, but steps in the right direction, and that’s what spring ball is all about.”
 
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GREG STUDRAWA
  • He says Matthew Jones, Luke Wypler and Jakob James are repping at center with Harry Miller being out. "All three of those guys are doing pretty well in there."
  • On Josh Fryar: "His athleticism is what excited me in recruiting him." His ability to bend and basketball background made him intriguing. "He's a guy that's got some grit. He's got some toughness."
  • On Paris Johnson moving from tackle to guard: "He is a kid that's very, very mentally tough. Without that first, he wouldn't be able to make that transition." He says he sometimes has to kick Johnson out of his office because he's such a student of the game. His desire to play has helped him with the transition, too.
  • Asked about the offensive linemen and the quarterback battle: "I don't think they have a clue about the quarterback battle."
  • He mentions 11 guys are going through their first spring camp ever. Until a foundation's built this spring, he says, they can't go win games.
  • If he considered moving one of the offensive tackles inside to put Johnson at tackle: "I absolutely did." But he chose not to: "They were two of the best tackles in the country last year. They proved it. They're growing. They can help those guys inside." He thought it would be best to have the veterans stay at tackle.
  • On Harry Miller: "I would assume he's going to be one of the best five." He says when the preseason comes along, Miller will jump right back into the mix.
  • He says Donovan Jackson has been virtually in all of the meetings. Will he have a chance to start as a freshman? "Yes, he's going to have the opportunity to come in there and be one of the five just like everybody else does."
  • Studrawa says Dawand Jones has been banged up so he hasn't practiced in several days. "He's got his weight down to the best it's been in a long time." He says he was "really playing well." Jones is expected back before the end of the spring.
  • "I know the state of the room and you guys do too – what it was when I got here." He says he used to have no depth whatsoever up front, but the depth right now is a "testament to what we've done."
  • He agrees when asked if Matthew Jones is the most improved player on the team. "Matt is a guy that's always had the physical tools." He says he got sick and missed a day or two with the flu, but Studrawa is "really excited" with where he's heading.
  • The coaches are focused on improving Nicholas Petit-Frere's pad level to make him a more dominant run blocker. "What we've got to do is we've got to make him an elite run blocker."
  • Thayer Munford told Studrawa that he hasn't peaked yet. He told his position coach he wants to be able to say, "I'm not just really good, I'm the best."
  • Studrawa: "I've got a smart room. I've got smart guys."
  • On Wypler: "He's a tough Jersey guy, first of all. I love that about him. He's rugged." When the national championship game ended, Wypler called him the next day and sent him video of him doing drills at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. "That kid stayed here the entire time." He says Wypler has gotten much better at snapping the ball and stepping quickly off the ball.
 
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Does anyone know if Noah Potter still with the team? Seem to recollect he played in place of NPF, and didn't allow a sack. Ergo, when Stud/writers are talking about the talent on the O-line, his name is conspicuously absent. Thanks in advance.
 
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calibuck said:
Does anyone know if Noah Potter still with the team? Seem to recollect he played in place of NPF, and didn't allow a sack. Ergo, when Stud/writers are talking about the talent on the O-line, his name is conspicuously absent. Thanks in advance.
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Noah Potter is a defensive lineman who received some kudos from Day regarding his performance at DT during spring practice.

You're likely thinking of his Mentor High School teammate Ryan Jacoby.
 
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