Josh Dooley
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Tegra Tshabola is on tap to become Ohio State’s 2024 breakout player
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
The homegrown Ohio product has not seen the field often for Ohio State but offers tantalizing potential
Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Akron.
The 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes are inarguably one of the most talented teams in all of college football. That being said, Ryan Day’s squad is not without questions/question marks. At tight end, linebacker, and especially along the offensive line. The latter is especially concerning when one considers that the Buckeyes actually return four of five starters along said OL.
Generally speaking, teams returning 80% of a(ny) starting unit are more confident than not and look forward to running it back with a core group that is older, wiser, and more experienced. However, I’m not sure that is the case with or for OSU. Sure, the left side seems like a decent foundation from which Justin Frye and the Buckeyes can build, but we’re not talking about an (almost entirely intact) OL group that lit the world on fire last season. Even with Donovan Jackson and Josh Simmons. If anything, I would argue that the entire unit significantly regressed from 2022 to 2023 and failed to show much improvement late in the year.
Now, folks opposed to my argument would likely point out that Jackson, Josh Fryar, and Matt Jones (all) earned All-Big Ten recognition, while Simmons finished with a higher pass block grade than any of them. Those same folks might also bring up the fact that Ohio State quarterbacks were “only” sacked 23 times last season, with four of those coming in the team’s disastrous Cotton Bowl performance... When guys were playing out of position and/or for the first time in a meaningful moment. But I watched the games. I watched that group struggle against teams with a pulse.
Fortunately, the upcoming 2024 season presents an opportunity for OSU’s big men to communicate better, execute more consistently, and change the narrative surrounding their collective performance. Something(s) I think they can and will do, but only if Frye pushes the right buttons and comes up with the best alignment/cohesive five-man unit.
Simmons, Jackson, Fryar, and Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin appear to be locks for the starting group, leaving one open spot, which I believe should go to the Buckeyes’ highest-rated OL recruit (per 247Sports) since 2021: Tegra Tshabola.
Ohio’s top-rated offensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class, Tshabola boasts ideal measurables and seems capable of playing tackle or guard, making him hypothetically interchangeable with Fryar on the right side. However, despite his massive build and assumed positional versatility, he has not earned or been given reps at either position. Or any position, for that matter.
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Doral Chenoweth / USA TODAY NETWORK
The third-year player from West Chester (OH) has played just 84 total snaps in Columbus, almost all during “garbage time”. Last season, Tshabola finished eighth in snaps among Ohio State’s offensive linemen, behind the team’s starters, Enokk Vimahi, and then true-freshman Luke Montgomery. But I have a hunch that Tshabola’s place in the pecking order will change and/or improve drastically in 2024, thanks in part to a new and possibly improved approach.
While none of the OSU coaches have seemingly ever had a negative thing to say about Tshabola, his performance, or his approach, their past praise was not what I would describe as effusive. But this spring, Frye specifically has been very complimentary of Tshabola, touting the latter’s new “nobody cares” mantra; which is not rooted in apathy but rather a desire to ignore or eliminate excuses and negativity.
As for Tshabola’s fit or role along the Buckeyes’ OL in 2024, I believe that he is or should be the team’s first choice to replace Jones at right guard. There, Tshabola would presumably be sandwiched between McLaughlin and Fryar, giving the former a greater margin for error — due to the experience of his running mates. And at 6-foot-6, nearly 330 pounds, Tshabola would give Ohio State a massive mauler on the interior, as opposed to the smaller albeit quicker and likely more athletic Montgomery.
OSU and its coaches might prefer a quicker, more athletic guard, but it never hurts to have a guy out there who is just bigger than every other player on the field. Especially if the Buckeyes plan to really pound the rock. If that turns out to be the case, then Montgomery, while uber-talented, probably needs to continue adding weight to his 305-pound frame. Tshabola, on the other hand, is already built and assembled to toss around opposing defensive linemen.
So keep an eye on Tegra Tshabola as summer winds down and fall approaches, as he could be the missing piece of Ohio State’s OL puzzle. At the very least, he should be a swing piece on either side. But I fully believe that his ceiling is much, much higher.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images
The homegrown Ohio product has not seen the field often for Ohio State but offers tantalizing potential
Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Akron.
The 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes are inarguably one of the most talented teams in all of college football. That being said, Ryan Day’s squad is not without questions/question marks. At tight end, linebacker, and especially along the offensive line. The latter is especially concerning when one considers that the Buckeyes actually return four of five starters along said OL.
Generally speaking, teams returning 80% of a(ny) starting unit are more confident than not and look forward to running it back with a core group that is older, wiser, and more experienced. However, I’m not sure that is the case with or for OSU. Sure, the left side seems like a decent foundation from which Justin Frye and the Buckeyes can build, but we’re not talking about an (almost entirely intact) OL group that lit the world on fire last season. Even with Donovan Jackson and Josh Simmons. If anything, I would argue that the entire unit significantly regressed from 2022 to 2023 and failed to show much improvement late in the year.
Now, folks opposed to my argument would likely point out that Jackson, Josh Fryar, and Matt Jones (all) earned All-Big Ten recognition, while Simmons finished with a higher pass block grade than any of them. Those same folks might also bring up the fact that Ohio State quarterbacks were “only” sacked 23 times last season, with four of those coming in the team’s disastrous Cotton Bowl performance... When guys were playing out of position and/or for the first time in a meaningful moment. But I watched the games. I watched that group struggle against teams with a pulse.
Fortunately, the upcoming 2024 season presents an opportunity for OSU’s big men to communicate better, execute more consistently, and change the narrative surrounding their collective performance. Something(s) I think they can and will do, but only if Frye pushes the right buttons and comes up with the best alignment/cohesive five-man unit.
Simmons, Jackson, Fryar, and Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin appear to be locks for the starting group, leaving one open spot, which I believe should go to the Buckeyes’ highest-rated OL recruit (per 247Sports) since 2021: Tegra Tshabola.
Ohio’s top-rated offensive lineman in the 2022 recruiting class, Tshabola boasts ideal measurables and seems capable of playing tackle or guard, making him hypothetically interchangeable with Fryar on the right side. However, despite his massive build and assumed positional versatility, he has not earned or been given reps at either position. Or any position, for that matter.
The third-year player from West Chester (OH) has played just 84 total snaps in Columbus, almost all during “garbage time”. Last season, Tshabola finished eighth in snaps among Ohio State’s offensive linemen, behind the team’s starters, Enokk Vimahi, and then true-freshman Luke Montgomery. But I have a hunch that Tshabola’s place in the pecking order will change and/or improve drastically in 2024, thanks in part to a new and possibly improved approach.
While none of the OSU coaches have seemingly ever had a negative thing to say about Tshabola, his performance, or his approach, their past praise was not what I would describe as effusive. But this spring, Frye specifically has been very complimentary of Tshabola, touting the latter’s new “nobody cares” mantra; which is not rooted in apathy but rather a desire to ignore or eliminate excuses and negativity.
As for Tshabola’s fit or role along the Buckeyes’ OL in 2024, I believe that he is or should be the team’s first choice to replace Jones at right guard. There, Tshabola would presumably be sandwiched between McLaughlin and Fryar, giving the former a greater margin for error — due to the experience of his running mates. And at 6-foot-6, nearly 330 pounds, Tshabola would give Ohio State a massive mauler on the interior, as opposed to the smaller albeit quicker and likely more athletic Montgomery.
OSU and its coaches might prefer a quicker, more athletic guard, but it never hurts to have a guy out there who is just bigger than every other player on the field. Especially if the Buckeyes plan to really pound the rock. If that turns out to be the case, then Montgomery, while uber-talented, probably needs to continue adding weight to his 305-pound frame. Tshabola, on the other hand, is already built and assembled to toss around opposing defensive linemen.
So keep an eye on Tegra Tshabola as summer winds down and fall approaches, as he could be the missing piece of Ohio State’s OL puzzle. At the very least, he should be a swing piece on either side. But I fully believe that his ceiling is much, much higher.
Continue reading...