OL Coach/Run Game Coordinator Justin Frye (Official Thread)

[DaddyBigBucks]

Absolutely, I'm the first to criticize but also the the first to give credit where it is due. With the injuries and hand that was dealt to Frye, he has done exceptionally well so far on the OL adjustments. On recruiting, maybe we need to have a tagalong like Hartline or JL. But enough ado there, really solid performances in a tough situation with injuries.

Maybe "the hand that was dealt to Frye" included a much more difficult recruiting assignment than any other on the team.

An extremely common (albeit erroneous) line of thinking across all of sports is that facts that have been will continue to be facts in the future (e.g. "those who haven't, can't"). It seems possible that high school OL look at Ohio State as a program that "can't" produce as many NFL OL as certain other programs. Nevermind the obvious circular thinking, self-fulfilling prophecy, and other fallacies involved. To a high school kid, even a smart one, this line of thinking probably sounds logical.

In David Sanders' thread in the recruiting forum, I posted this in early August:

Based on what I’m hearing from camp, especially what chip Kelly is saying, I would be shocked if the OL weren’t massively improved this year. If it is, then I think there will be some flips in the right direction in December

Think about where we've been since then. They have looked more like a M*A*S*H unit than an OL. Many on the board (including me, to my everlasting shame) were shoveling dirt on the OL several games ago. Now they're semi-finalists for the Joe Moore award.

Based on the trajectory, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Chip knows enough about football to have been right all along (all the way back to August). We'll still need some transfer portal help, I think, but I do expect some flips in the right direction in the next two months.

 

[RB07OSU]

Maybe "the hand that was dealt to Frye" included a much more difficult recruiting assignment than any other on the team.

An extremely common (albeit erroneous) line of thinking across all of sports is that facts that have been will continue to be facts in the future (e.g. "those who haven't, can't"). It seems possible that high school OL look at Ohio State as a program that "can't" produce as many NFL OL as certain other programs. Nevermind the obvious circular thinking, self-fulfilling prophecy, and other fallacies involved. To a high school kid, even a smart one, this line of thinking probably sounds logical.

In David Sanders' thread in the recruiting forum, I posted this in early August:

Think about where we've been since then. They have looked more like a M*A*S*H unit than an OL. Many on the board (including me, to my everlasting shame) were shoveling dirt on the OL several games ago. Now they're semi-finalists for the Joe Moore award.

Based on the trajectory, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Chip knows enough about football to have been right all along (all the way back to August). We'll still need some transfer portal help, I think, but I do expect some flips in the right direction in the next two months.

All really good points and well taken. I have been very frustrated by his recruiting attempts, but that could turn around with improved OL play.

I remember that post in Sanders' thread and it rang true to me. So far the OL has shown some real results being down a potential 1st round LT and his backup. Pretty damn impressive. If we can flip a big one and hit the portal on the rest, that would be great. Even on the current OL class, we are 3/5's the way there with really good prospects. Just need to finish strong.

The OL play under somewhat dire circumstances could be Kelly, but I think it is a combination of Frye and Kelly, and reuniting under common concepts and terminology. Whatever it is, keep doing it.

 

[Mike80]

All really good points and well taken. I have been very frustrated by his recruiting attempts, but that could turn around with improved OL play.

I remember that post in Sanders' thread and it rang true to me. So far the OL has shown some real results being down a potential 1st round LT and his backup. Pretty damn impressive. If we can flip a big one and hit the portal on the rest, that would be great. Even on the current OL class, we are 3/5's the way there with really good prospects. Just need to finish strong.

The OL play under somewhat dire circumstances could be Kelly, but I think it is a combination of Frye and Kelly, and reuniting under common concepts and terminology. Whatever it is, keep doing it.

It comes down to efficiency. I don't have the time to compare the numbers, but I'm willing to bet the offensive efficiency numbers this year compared to last are pretty different.

They are running schemes and plays that have a higher chance of success on both an individual and unit-level plane. I'm sure there have been some schematic simplification things going on as well, and having 3 people really reading out of the same playbook (Day, Kelly and Frye), it helps all the way down.

It also helps, given how Kelly operates, that they've established what they want their identity to be and they build off of it. I have pointed out when the subs in, they run 4 basic run plays and they will keep running them until it's perfect. That's because literally everything in this offense is based on those 4 basic run schemes. The past couple years it would change from game to game. O-linemen are like anyone else in a lot of ways - the more they are in a rhythm and the more they are put in a position to succeed, the more likely they will perform.