Ohio State’s challenge: Can a battered offensive line hold up against Tennessee?

Donovan Jackson, Ohio State’s left guard and left tackle, had begun to answer a question about the changing parts along the Buckeyes’ offensive line when he stopped and decided the timeline would reinforce the point he was trying to make. “We’ll start at the beginning,” Jackson said at a news conference earlier this week. And from there, he embarked on an extensive recounting of the messages he shared with each new lineman added to the lineup in the midst of a season of injuries and inconsistency in the trenches.

First came Austin Siereveld, the sophomore from Ohio who never played last season but started the first two games of 2024 at left guard while Jackson himself recovered from a hamstring injury suffered in fall camp. . Then came Zen Michalski, an inexperienced senior from Indiana who started at left tackle against Nebraska after the team’s top lineman, former San Diego State transfer Josh Simmons, tore his ACL in the loss to Oregon. But Michalski allowed four pressures and two sacks to the Cornhuskers before leaving with an injury of his own. That’s when Jackson moved from left guard to left tackle, a position he has held ever since.

Then came Carson Hinzman, the 2023 starting center who lost an open competition to Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin in fall camp. Hinzman entered the fray at left guard when Jackson kicked outside to tackle, but then made a more permanent move to center after McLaughlin tore his Achilles tendon during practice in late November. That’s when Siereveld re-entered the starting lineup at left guard for the final two weeks of the regular season, a stretch that included the Buckeyes’ surprising loss to Michigan. So ineffective was Ohio State’s offensive line in giving up 13 quarterback pressures and four tackles for a loss against the Wolverines, who limited running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson to 67 yards on 22 carries, that head coach Ryan Day and his staff are planning another shakeup ahead of Saturday’s date against ninth-seeded Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. (8 pm Eastern Time)

“I’ve gotten very good at giving motivational speeches this year,” Jackson said with a hint of a smile, then added: “The message changes, it varies by position. Everyone takes the messages in different ways. But the end goal is always himself”. , which is playing your best and worrying about the result later.”

But Ohio State fans are deeply concerned because of a season that began with high hopes of winning the program’s first national championship since 2014, a dream fueled, in large part, by the star-studded roster that cost an estimated $20 million in NIL . The backing to assemble, according to first-year athletic director Ross Bjork, now depends on what has been the team’s weakest position group for two straight years, if not more, and one that will be severely tested by La Tennessee’s greatest fortress. Buoyed by a handful of future pros along the defensive line, including running back James Pearce Jr., a potential top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Volunteers racked up more tackles for loss (93 ) than any Big Ten opponent the Buckeyes have ever had. faced and rank among the top five nationally in total defense (278.3 yards per game), scoring defense (13.9 points per game) and third down conversion rate (29.5%).

It’s not a stretch to think this defensive front could pose the toughest first-round matchup Ohio State could have drawn in this year’s playoffs, especially considering the Buckeyes’ profound lack of depth and demonstrated talent throughout offensive line, both of which reflect poorly on third-year offensive line coach Justin Frye, an increasingly maligned figure on Day’s staff.

“Now we have to step back and say, ‘Okay, where can we attack to get our guys in the right position?'” Jackson said, “because what we could do before is not what we can do now.” . [after the injuries]. We have new guys that are stepping up, they are playing at a competitive level, but we have to put guys in the right position to be successful in the upcoming games. We didn’t execute as well as we wanted in the last game. [against Michigan]”But the beautiful thing about football, the beautiful thing about the playoffs, is that we have another opportunity to go out and play.”

All signs point toward another shakeup of Ohio State’s offensive line this weekend, with Day hinting during his two press conferences that sophomore Luke Montgomery could earn his first career start at left guard. That day also hinted at a possible rotation between Siereveld and embattled right guard Tegra Tshabola, who is the team’s lowest-rated starting lineman in both run blocking and pass blocking by Pro Football Focus, underscoring the depth of the coaching staff’s concerns. inside.

By the time kickoff rolls around Saturday night, right tackle Josh Fryar will likely be the only starter to occupy the same position against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff and Akron in the season opener. The projected starting five includes Jackson at left tackle, Montgomery at left guard, Hinzmann at center, Tshabola or Siereveld at right guard and Fryar at right tackle.

“I have all the faith in the world in those guys, man,” quarterback Will Howard said earlier this week when asked about impending changes along the offensive line. “And no matter who it is, I don’t care. Everyone is here for a reason, and they have to remember that. At the end of the day, they’re Buckeyes. It doesn’t matter who’s out there, who’s playing.”

Although injuries to key players were out of Frye’s control, the program’s recent ineffectiveness on the recruiting trail and poor development of the prospects Ohio State managed to sign are largely his crosses to endure. Since arriving in Columbus before the 2022 season, after four years at UCLA working under Chip Kelly, the current Buckeye offensive coordinator, Frye has only had one offensive lineman ranked among the top 100 players nationally in the last three cycles. combined. That was Montgomery, the No. 92 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, who is expected to break into the starting lineup at left guard this weekend. Frye’s next-best recruit, Tshabola, who finished 104th overall in the 2022 cycle, was the Buckeyes’ weakest starter all season. The average rating among the four linemen Frye added for the 2024 class is 320.5, according to the 247Sports Composite, which is a far cry from the star-studded lineups his peers are bringing in at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back.

And while Frye certainly deserves credit for helping former Ohio State standouts Paris Johnson, Dawand Jones and Luke Wypler become draft picks, all of whom were selected in 2023, it’s worth noting that he didn’t draft them. Just as it’s worth noting that the two best linemen on this year’s team, Simmons and McLaughlin, transferred. The fact that Day has already changed his offensive coordinator entering the 2024 season means Frye’s job could be in jeopardy if the offensive line flops in the playoffs.

“I think everyone involved in this playoff now understands that to win it all, we have to play four more games, you know?” Kelly said earlier this week. “To think that no one else is going to get hurt in those next four games is… you’re burying your head in the sand. So we have to be prepared for it and we have to be ready to move forward.” “I think the team that can best handle the attrition part of this may end up being the team that wins it all.”

Which might require a few more speeches from Jackson.

Michael Cohen covers college football and basketball for FOX Sports with an emphasis on the Big Ten. follow him on @Michael_Cohen13.