This is how it was supposed to be for Taylor Decker and Pat Elflein.
They were supposed to come to Ohio State and contribute to the program's offensive line at some point in their careers, whenever that time came.
For Decker, it was last year's season-opener as a true sophomore. He's started every game since for the Buckeyes. As for Elflein, he stepped in during last season's Big Ten championship game and has been a mainstay on the interior of Ohio State's offensive line ever since.
But the other three spots? Those didn't come as easily.
Jacoby Boren, Billy Price and Darryl Baldwin didn’t have the same direct path of Decker and Elflein. They all went through a bit of transition before finding themselves as members of Ohio State's most-improved unit.
Boren came to Columbus like his two older brothers hoping to make an impact. But at just 6-foot-1 and 285 pounds, questions arose about his size. Was he big enough to play offensive line at a place like Ohio State?
"When I shook his hand when I first got here in 2012 and he was already committed to us, and he walked through the door and, was like uh‑oh, what's this now," head coach Urban Meyer recalled of the first time meeting Boren. "I actually started thinking, maybe he could be a blocking fullback."
But despite his smaller-than-usual size, Boren believed he could play on the line at this level. And after starting every game at center this year for the fourth-ranked Buckeyes, it seems the junior from Pickerington was right.
"It’s something I’ve been hearing for a while. I just brush it to the side. It doesn’t really mean too much to me," he said. "It’s always going to be out there. I’m always going to be the height I am and the weight I am. It’s something I don’t’ really worry about. I just go and play the game."
Price and Baldwin weren’t even recruited by the Buckeyes as offensive players. Both were brought to Ohio State as defensive linemen, yet have wound up with starting jobs on the offensive line this year.
Price, the starting left guard, and Baldwin, the starter at right tackle, are at opposite ends of their respective careers. Baldwin is a fifth-year senior and is one of the few players on this year’s team who played for former coach Jim Tressel. Monday's national championship game against Oregon will be his final time suiting up in the scarlet and gray.
It’s almost the opposite for Price, who is only in his first year of playing time after redshirting last year as a true freshman. He came to Ohio State as part of that highly-touted 2013 recruiting class, but was thought to be a member of the defense.
“I can’t imagine something like that,” Decker said of switching from defense to offense. “For them to just kind of go into a position that is best for the team more so than the position they wanted to play, first of all is really selfless of them. … It was a huge challenge so it is just a product of them getting their reps and saying that, ‘I’m going to do this, I want to do this, this is what the team needs me to do,’ and good for them.”
The three have been key in helping solidify Ohio State's offensive line a year after it lost four starters — three of which are starting for NFL playoff teams as rookies.
Their performance, along with the instruction of offensive line coach Ed Warinner, is a huge reason the Buckeyes have a shot to win a national championship Monday night when they take on the second-ranked Ducks.
"No matter how good or how bad we do, Coach Warinner is always pushing us. Him pushing us and each of us pushing each other on the line has made us closer and stronger as a unit," Boren said. "Pretty much week in and week out, I feel we’ve gotten stronger and stronger and we take a lot of pride in performing well."
