My regulars know my fears about the offensive line heading into next season. But to recap for my freeloaders, I really don’t think this fanbase is prepared for just how ugly this could get.
Let’s talk through this.
Ohio State returns exactly two starters on the offensive line: Matthew Jones and Donavan Jackson. Jones could shift to a position he’s never played at the college level and Jackson was the clear weak link on the line this year. So that’s hardly a firm foundation to start, but we’ll roll with it because that’s about as good as it gets.
Josh Fryar and Enokk Vimahi are the only two other linemen with first-team experience on the roster with a combined two starts between them. Of that pair, Fryar is the only one to actually finish a game he started as Vimahi was immediately benched in favor of Fryar one series into his only start.
So let’s frisky and assume we can count on Fryar for one of those three open spots. That still leaves the Bucks needing two more starters. And it’s… looking bleak.
The remaining fourth-year players haven’t played a competitive snap at Ohio State and were rated No. 463, No. 852, and No. 1,139 coming out of high school. So I don’t feel great there! So you’re basically left praying Ben Christman and Zen Michalski are good, or you’re rolling with a first or second-year player, which is a terrifying thought on the offensive line.
TL;DR, Greg Studrawa’s recruiting fucked this team over for multiple classes and we’re now seeing the ripple effects as Ohio State tries to assemble an offensive line out of guys who had no business even being on this team as more than a preferred walk-on.
That’s the bad news. But here’s a little bit of good news!
Victor Cutler quite clearly was not Ohio State’s top pick out of the portal, but I’m actually cool with this. You can probably pencil him in as a starter *somewhere* on the offensive line – candidly, wherever the next-best guy sucks the most.
He’s built like an interior lineman and would ideally play inside as a center or a guard, but he *could* play outside if you really needed him to – he played more games at left tackle ULM than any other position, even though he’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-3.
His flexibility is going to allow Justin Frye to tool around with a bunch of different options to put together this offensive line. Let Matthew Jones try center. If he sucks, Cutler can play there. Try out Michalski or Christman at that tackle spot. If they suck, try some younger guys. If they suck, try moving Donovan Jackson outside and letting Enok Vimahi play inside. If all of that fails, you’ve still got a guy who’s started 17 games at tackle, even if he’s a bit undersized.
In a perfect world, Ohio State still lands another transfer offensive tackle out of the portal who they can feel confident is a potential day-one starter. They might even find that during the spring transfer window. But for where they are right now, a versatile guy like Cutler is exactly what they needed.
- THE OHIO STATE MONKEY’S PAW
I’ve been clamoring for Ohio State to be more aggressive in the transfer portal for a long time, and I feel like I just got Monkey’s Paw’d.
Because this is technically true!
Ohio State has now added more scholarship transfers this offseason than it has in any previous offseason since the transfer portal opened in 2018.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) January 18, 2023
… but not in the way I wanted.
Ohio State has brought in five total incoming transfers this offseason. That’s significantly more than in previous years – which is technically what I asked for. Buttttt that number includes a fourth-string transfer quarterback, a long snapper, and a walk-on backup kicker.
If you had told me Ohio State was signing five players from the portal, my dumb ass would have gleefully expected something like two offensive linemen, two corners, and a safety.
But I was not specific enough, and that’s on me.
- C.J. STROUD WAS AN ABSOLUTE WITCH
I talked a lot about C.J. Stroud’s Ohio State legacy this week, but I think the most positive thing my crusty brain will remember about his years as a Buckeye is how casually he made some of the most insane throws my eyes have ever seen.
Looking back, the guy made literally dozens of “that should not have been possible” throws look extremely normal.
It takes a lot to impress me in a highlight reel of just passes from a clean pocket. But holy shit.
He’s the most talented pure passer to ever play at Ohio State. And I don’t think that’s remotely controversial after watching that video.
Aside: it rules that this compilation of “Accuracy +” throws actually includes an interception because Cade Stover tipped the ball right to a safety. Very cool. Tremendous, actually!
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