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Offensive Linemen Confident in Gabe “Sicko Mode” VanSickle Entering CFP Stage: “He's Ready to Go Out There and Swarm”
By Andy Anders on December 29, 2025 at 3:37 pm @andyanders55
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Rhapsodies are among the most engaging and expressive pieces of music in human culture.
The most famous, of course, is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” but the archetype of song has been around for centuries. For those unfamiliar with musical lexicon, a rhapsody is a fluid piece that features multiple tone switches, evoking multiple different moods. Put more simply, it’s a song that goes a lot of places.
Rhapsodies make their way into all genres, including rap music. The most famous rhapsody of the modern generation is Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” featuring Drake, the song for which Ohio State right guard Gabe VanSickle is nicknamed “Sicko Mode” by his teammates. The musical number exists in three parts: Drake’s hypnotic intro over a distorted synthetic organ, Travis’ verse over a more typical trap beat, then another verse each from Drake and Travis after a second beat switch.
VanSickle is competing with fellow guard Joshua Padilla to start at right guard in the likely absence of Tegra Tshabola, who is doubtful to play in Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal. While there are sure to be bumps for the redshirt freshman, the hope is that they’re part of a broader masterpiece of a rhapsody he performs against Miami in the Cotton Bowl.
“I think Sicko Mode, he’s ready to go out there and swarm,” center Carson Hinzman said on Wednesday. “I think him and Dilla have put in a lot of work to go out there and execute. So, I’m extremely confident in their abilities to go out there and play. I’m extremely excited to go see what they’re gonna do under the bright lights. So, it’ll be fun.”
Ohio State’s situation at right guard this CFP is a familiar one to last year’s CFP.
After a disastrous outing from its offensive line against Michigan following a season-ending injury to Rimington Trophy-winning center Seth McLaughlin a week prior, the Buckeyes began rotating a trio of guards alongside Hinzman, who took over at center: Austin Siereveld with Luke Montgomery at left guard, then Siereveld with Tshabola at right guard. By the third game of its four-game national championship run, Montgomery took over at left guard full-time while Siereveld and Tshabola continued rolling on the right side. They played their own rhapsody, which concluded with the ultimate trophy hoisting.
“You’ll mess up, but you’ve just gotta ride a rollercoaster high,” Siereveld said of taking on that responsibility. “Just execute and be confident in yourself and enjoy the moment. And just go out and play hard, and you know what needs to be done.”
Each of the three men were second-year players, as VanSickle is this year. But Sicko Mode’s mozy toward the top of the depth chart is a bit more unexpected. A Northwestern commit at one time, he was only the composite No. 613 prospect in the recruiting class of 2024 at the time of his Ohio State commitment in November 2023. He vaulted to become a four-star prospect ranked 283rd nationally by the final rankings for the class, but didn’t play a single snap in his freshman year.
“It's been great,” VanSickle said of his opportunity to play a major role in the 2025 CFP. “Obviously, I didn't play a whole bunch last year. It's really good to actually be playing and actually be in the game playing for the game. It's been really good.”
Padilla was the primary man rotating with Tshabola in the first half of the regular season, as the starter dealt with consistent inconsistency during throughout the campaign. That is, until Padilla suffered an injury in Ohio State’s seventh game against Penn State. VanSickle played 10 snaps in relief of Tshabola with the first-team offensive line the following week at Purdue, then actually saw more use than Tshabola against UCLA, 44 snaps to 26.
"He’s ready to go out there and swarm."– Carson Hinzman on Gabe VanSickle
Tshabola’s play picked back up, and he stayed on the field the entire time for the Buckeyes’ offense at Michigan, but then struggles reemerged against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. He was benched in favor of VanSickle for the final three drives, leaving the redshirt freshman with 29 snaps to the redshirt junior’s 28.
Per Pro Football Focus, VanSickle hasn’t allowed a sack in 59 pass-blocking snaps this season, with only two total pressures allowed. He’s had some good run-blocking reps in his 136 total snaps this year as well, with some growing pains mixed in. He’s leaned on Hinzman for help.
“We have a really good relationship,” VanSickle said. “Obviously, he's a big veteran guy. It's a really good guy to be next to on the line, and he's a really good guy for the room because he brings everybody together. He's a funny guy.”
Another man VanSickle is leaning on for help is Tshabola.
“He's a really good football player,” VanSickle said. “He's my roommate in the hotel, so we bond a lot. He's always telling me tricks and tips on the game because he's played a lot of football. So, having him with me and telling me some stuff to do has been good.”
Tshabola, for his part, expects to be back at some point during the CFP. But he’s oozing with confidence about both VanSickle and Padilla filling in.
“I'm really confident (I’ll be back), I've been hitting rehab really hard,” Tshabola said. “But I'm more confident in the guys that are gonna be playing this upcoming game.”
“They both play with an edge,” Tshabola added later. “They both play hungry. They play hard, they play tough. They both should be, again, I keep saying it, they both should be confident.”
VanSickle will line up alongside right tackle Phillip Daniels, a man who always wants to ensure the offensive line plays with a mean streak. To him, entering with the right mentality will be the most important thing for VanSickle.
“He’s strong as an ox,” Daniels said. “Very smart, and knows what he’s doing. We’ve just gotta make sure that he’s a killer. Because you can have all the intangibles, but when it’s time to hit somebody, can you do that for two to three hours? Hit a grown man that’s 300 pounds. I’ve just been telling him, ‘Keep that killer mindset. Kill or be killed out there. Don’t get put on nobody’s highlight tape, because if you do it right, you’re gonna be lit for life.’”
Padilla echoed the same confidence exuded by his fellow offensive linemen about the level of play he and VanSickle can achieve. He has 87 snaps of experience this season, though he hasn’t played since the aforementioned Penn State game.
“I feel like our coaches put us in the best position to go out there and play, me or Gabe,” Padilla said. “We're going to show what we can do.”
It’ll be time for Sicko Mode to perform his own rhapsody, either featuring or featured by Padilla, at right guard on Wednesday.
Offensive Linemen Confident in Gabe “Sicko Mode” VanSickle Entering CFP Stage: “He's Ready to Go Out There and Swarm”
Though ups and downs are expected, OSU's offensive linemen are confident in Gabe VanSickle in a featured right guard role on the CFP stage: "He's ready to go out there and swarm."
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