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OL Thayer Munford (1st Team All B1G, 1st Team All-American, Las Vegas Raiders)

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THAYER MUNFORD VS. OREGON DEFENSIVE END KAYVON THIBODEAUX
Ohio State's left tackle has started 26 games over the last two years despite dealing with some nagging injuries. Munford is back as a senior and will be one of the most experienced linemen in the Big Ten. He and the rest of the Buckeyes line will have their hands full on Sept. 12 when the team heads to Eugene.

Kayvon Thibodeaux was considered the country's top 2019 prospect according to some outlets, and the California native sided with the Ducks over the Crimson Tide. He recorded nine sacks as a true freshman and some are already labeling him as a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Munford and Ohio State's ability to protect Justin Fields will be a major storyline heading into the early-season clash.
 
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1. THAYER MUNFORD, LT (1,922 SNAPS)
Even though he has had to battle through injuries that have kept him off the field at times over the past two years, Munford has played by far the most collegiate snaps of any Buckeye entering the 2020 season, having started all but one of Ohio State’s games at left tackle in each of the past two seasons.

When healthy, Munford has been an excellent left tackle, and he’ll look to finish his Ohio State career strong in his senior year. He provided crucial experience as the only returning starter on the offensive line in 2019, but going into 2020, there might not be any team in college football that has a better trio of proven offensive linemen than the Buckeyes do in Munford, Davis and Myers.
 
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Thayer Munford – 20%
Thayer Munford is only the third-best player on the Buckeyes’ offensive line. He’s a step below both Wyatt Davis and Josh Myers in terms of production at the collegiate level. Yet, despite being outplayed by his two teammates early in his career, Munford has a chance to go ahead of both of them in the 2021 draft.

As a 6-foot-6 tackle with solid feet, Munford has a higher ceiling than both Davis and Myers. The pass rush game is changing, but protecting a quarterback’s blindside is still king.

Munford has been banged up throughout his career at OSU. An ankle, a back, and various other injuries have prevented his tape from matching his incredible skill set. If he can stay healthy and improve his tape this season, he’ll have a real shot of going in round-one.
 
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OT Thayer Munford
Thayer Munford has the experience to find a home in the NFL. He has 26 career starts and has played in 38 games in three seasons. He has only missed two starts in the last two seasons, but last year, he had a nagging injury and his play suffered a bit in the middle of the season. Munford’s size makes him an ideal tackle in the NFL, but another season of experience and game film wouldn’t hurt to boost his draft stock. It can seemingly only go up from where it was at the end of last season, when he was part of one of the best offensive lines in America.
 
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Thayer Munford didn’t want to make excuses, and he also didn’t want to let Ohio State down by refusing to battle through injuries.

So, the Buckeyes left tackle gritted through the pain. He didn’t talk about an offseason recovery plan last year that kept him from lifting heavy weights and prevented him from taking part in certain practice drills. And whenever he was physically capable of stepping on the field, Munford made sure he was there as a prime example of the toughness required to play offensive line for the program.

But playing at roughly 70 or 80 percent came at a price, and Munford will still cringe occasionally when he pops in game film from a year ago and watches himself perform at a level he finds unacceptable. Now that he’s fully healthy, though, the senior has made it clear he’s got something to prove starting Saturday in the opener against Nebraska.

“My injuries were kind of nagging me throughout the whole season last season, and everybody saw it last year,” Munford said. “Towards the end of the season, it was slowly getting better. But it wasn’t where I wanted to be and it wasn’t where my teammates wanted me to be. Everybody knew that I wasn’t at my best last year at all.

“There aren’t words for it at all. After watching all of last year’s games and stuff, I knew I wasn’t 100 percent. I knew I wasn’t powerful with my run game. I knew I wasn’t as fluid as I am right now with my pass sets. That motivated me so much, I just want to go out there and compete and dominate whoever is in front of me right now. I’m going to have fun doing it, we’re all going to have fun doing it — but at the same time, it’s business for me.”



THAYER MUNFORD
  • On right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere: “He's going to work, and he's going to protect Justin as well as anyone here ... by the time he's done here, he's going to be one of the best offensive tackles in his class.” Munford said Petit-Frere is “a lot bigger” than he used to be.
  • On battling injuries last season: “Everybody knew that I wasn't the best last year at all ... but you gotta fight through it.”
  • Munford said after watching his film from last year, he knew he wasn't as powerful as he should be in the run game or as fluid as he should be as a pass blocker, and “that motivated me so much.” Said everyone is motivated going into this season, but “It's business for me.”
  • The adversity Munford went through with his injuries last season motivated him even more to be a leader for the Buckeyes this year.
  • On Baron Browning: “He's going to be a destruction to other offensive tackles ... don't sleep on him at all. He's going to be a problem on the outside.” Munford noted Browning's quickness and how powerful he is.
  • Munford said he thinks was only at about 70-80% last season, but he never wanted to sit out. He wanted to show how tough he was and that he would ”do anything for his teammates.”
  • On what people will see from him this year: “I'm going to be a lot more powerful, I'm going to be finishing and sustaining my blocks, too.”
  • Munford said he feels “a lot stronger” and he's been able to lift a lot more this offseason because he's fully healthy and not dealing with a back injury like he was last offseason.
  • On this year's offensive line: “You're going to see a different Thayer. You're going to see a different offensive line, too ... we are a force to be reckoned with right now.”
  • Munford said the feedback Ohio State got from NFL scouts was that he needs to sustain his blocks more, which he wasn't able to do as well as he should have been last year because he wasn't fully healthy.
  • Munford said the challenging of preparing for Nebraska's defensive line is the Buckeyes don't even know who their starting defensive linemen will be since it's the first game.
  • “I do think we are going to be the best offensive line in the entire country this year.”
  • Munford said he had a weak core before last season, which played a part in the injuries he suffered, so he worked on strengthening his core, while he's also improved his diet, to hopefully avoid injuries going forward.
  • Munford said he doesn't expect any drop-off at running back with Trey Sermon and Master Teague.
  • On Ohio State's new starting left guard: “Harry Miller is going to be something special.”
 
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