Tuesday brought a case of Big Ten Media Days déjà vu.
A year ago at Big Ten Media Days, Ohio State’s top concern was with its offensive line. One revolution around the sun later, Ryan Day took to the lectern in Indianapolis once more to find the first question he fielded was about his offense’s front five.
“The O-line has been the area that we’ve been locked in on,” Day said. “Coming out of the summer, their bodies look different. You’ll see them next week, we have some of those open days of camp. They look good. Mick (Marotti)’s done a great job with them. They’ve had a good summer, but we know how important that is. This team is gonna go as the offensive line goes. This team is gonna go as the defensive line goes. So we know how important the offensive line is gonna be.”
With a defense many laud as loaded and another stocked cupboard of weapons at wide receiver and running back, improvement along the offensive line could determine whether the Buckeyes can accomplish the goals they’ve failed to achieve in recent seasons.
The good news for the Buckeyes is there’s more experience on the offensive line entering this season than last season, since at least three starters project to be the same as in 2023. Donovan Jackson is back for his third year starting at left guard, Josh Simmons returns as the starting left tackle and Josh Fryar is likely to start at right tackle again.
Seth McLaughlin transferred in from Alabama after starting at center for the Crimson Tide, and Carson Hinzman started until Ohio State’s bowl game at the same position for the Buckeyes before getting replaced in the lineup for that contest. That same Cotton Bowl yielded one of the worst offensive line performances in recent memory from the Buckeyes.
The open spot being battled for this offseason and into fall camp is at right guard.
“Josh Fryar, to me, has had an unbelievable summer,” Day said. “Donnie (Jackson) has been much a leader. But when it comes to that right guard position, I think you’re gonna see Carson Hinzman and Seth, they both can swing between center and guard. Tegra Tshabola is another guy who stepped up and had a great summer. Luke Montgomery, we feel like we have some decent guys in there that can fill that role.”
Hinzman’s end to his 2023 campaign left him as a bit of an afterthought in the battle to be part of the Buckeyes’ best five up front in 2024. The rave reviews he drew about his offseason progression from both Day and his teammates at media days gives the feeling he might be part of the team’s starting lineup if a game were played today, though. He'll duke it out with Tshabola and Montgomery in fall camp.
“Carson Hinzman is a phenomenal player,” defensive end Jack Sawyer said. “I think Carson Hinzman’s got a lot of great football ahead of him. Super hard worker, really humble kid and I’m excited to see how he does in fall camp. He had a great offseason.”
Last year hurled Hinzman onto the proverbial bonfire of big-time college football after the team’s starting center from 2022, Luke Wypler, surprised many by entering the NFL draft after just three years of college ball. Wypler was ultimately selected 190th overall in the sixth round of the 2023 draft by the Cleveland Browns.
While Pro Football Focus grades aren’t the end-all, be-all for adjudicating players, Hinzman had a dismal pass block grade of 8.9 against Notre Dame in Week 4, with a 47.4 overall score in that contest. He graded the lowest of Ohio State’s starting linemen for the season at 52. The offensive line as a whole struggled to find consistency on the ground, where the Buckeyes ranked 73rd nationally with 4.2 yards per carry – their worst mark since 2004.
“I think it was a tough ask at times for Carson,” Day said. “I thought he did a great job of going in there and battling his tail off. Probably was in there half-a-season too early. If Luke (Wypler) was there, he wouldn't have been in that situation unless maybe Luke comes in and gets hurt. But I thought Carson, for where he was at in his career, to go in there and battle the way he did, he's going to have a great career at Ohio State. But that doesn't mean that it was easy for him.”
“I thought Carson, for where he was at in his career, to go in there and battle the way he did, he's going to have a great career at Ohio State.”– Ryan Day on Carson Hinzman's redshirt freshman year
While Day said Hinzman and McLaughlin can each play both center and guard, he still remarked that McLaughlin is “the center” for Ohio State after transferring in from Alabama this offseason. McLaughlin's experience is expected to be an asset in the offense.
“He gives a veteran experience that is, I think, calming to the guys up front,” Day said. “I think he's gaining his voice more and more every day. I've said this before, you don't just jump in at Ohio State and start barking at people, but he is, and we're going to need him to. He's the center. Carson's going to play some center as well. We're still going to see how that all shakes out coming out of the preseason, but when Seth's in there, he's got to have a voice in there, and so does Carson. But Carson's gotten to play some guard as well, and that's exciting to see. I think they both had really good offseasons.”
Simmons started to realize some of his high ceiling at left tackle after transferring in from San Diego State in 2023, and he’s another blocker who’s stood out to Sawyer this offseason.
“He's an athletic freak. I mean, he's one of the most explosive guys that I've been around,” Sawyer said. “I think he kind of realizes that too. And he's a guy who's got really good feet for being that size. ... I think he's finally realizing what he's capable of and how important he is to our team's success.”
For the second year in a row, the thought process remains the same. If Ohio State can establish a quality offensive line, the elite surrounding position groups should be enough for the Buckeyes to have a formidable offense in 2024.
There can’t be more déjà vu ahead for the Buckeyes to attain their goals.
