Quick Hits: Tyler Bowen Impressed with Offensive Line Depth, Carson Hinzman Strives to Be A Leader and Ohio State Was Phillip Daniels’ “Dream School”

Every scholarship offensive lineman except Tegra Tshabola participated in media interviews on Thursday along with Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, who lauded the depth of his unit even though he isn’t ready to name any starters yet.

The offensive linemen who participated in Thursday’s media session included veteran interior linemen Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery and Austin Siereveld; potential starting offensive tackles Ethan Onianwa and Phillip Daniels, who joined the Buckeyes as transfers this offseason; Ian Moore and Joshua Padilla, who are also pushing for roles on Ohio State’s offensive line this season; second-year linemen Deontae and Devontae Armstrong and Gabe VanSickle; and true freshmen Carter Lowe, Jake Cook and Jayvon McFadden.

Tyler Bowen

“That’s what we hope to be. You see it in glimpses. We got to be consistent and learn how to harness it.”– Tyler Bowen on Ohio State’s offensive line being “nasty”

• Bowen said Ohio State’s offensive line room has great depth. “There’s a lot of guys that have played football, both that have been here and are coming in. We’re still a work in progress to figure out who the five are, but I’ve been impressed with the depth and the experiences that they’ve had.”
• On Ethan Onianwa: “He’s done a great job. Very coachable. Working his tail off. I’ve been impressed with Ethan. … He’s an impressive size guy from size and length, but it’s his smarts, it’s his work ethic. The way he approaches it every day, that’s been the most impressive to me.”
• Bowen said he’s been impressed with Carson Hinzman this spring, both as a player and a leader. “Carson is a guy that can run the show and gets us on the same page. Communication, that’s a fundamental for offensive line play. It’s maybe the most important thing we do is get everybody on the same page. But I’d say, him along with some of the depth on the interior, you’ve seen that show up this spring.”
• On Austin Siereveld: “Austin has done a great job. He’s played both tackles this spring, both guards, he’s played every position but center. It’s a luxury if a guy can handle that. He’s certainly showed the ability to do that. I’ve been very impressed with him.”
• Bowen said there are several benefits to cross-training offensive linemen. He said the goal of cross-training is to “give ourselves a chance to put the best five guys on the field.” He added: “That’s what you’re trying to find through spring, through summer, through fall camp before we hit the season.”

Carson Hinzman

“I want to be able to be a guy that people can fall back on. And like coach was saying before, we're going to have highs and lows, but the great players (are) the ones we can set our clocks to. And that's my goal, is to be one of those people that you can do that.”– Carson Hinzman on stepping up as a leader this year

• Despite emerging as a key starter for a national championship team last year, Hinzman remains hungry to better his game entering his fourth season. “I know I’m definitely not the player I need to be right now.”
• While it’s startling for Hinzman to look around see he’s one of just seven players left from Ohio State’s recruiting class of 2022, he said the players from that group that are still in Columbus have “bonded together.”
• On his excitement to be back playing alongside Luke Montgomery, Austin Siereveld and Tegra Tshabola: “Extremely excited. Trying to just build that culture back up again, like what we had last year. We're trying to do a little stuff here and there, like I think we're going to Ray Ray's barbecue tomorrow. So shoutout Ray Ray’s. But yeah, just trying to get that brotherhood back, get that O-Block spirit back. (The) shirt’s coming soon.”

Luke Montgomery

“We have a motto: ‘We only go as far as our line goes.’ That’s true to the offense. We’re only gonna go as far as we want to go. … You have to find your voice and be the true leaders of the front. … We all have to be one out there.”– Luke Montgomery on Ohio State’s offensive line setting the tone this offseason

• Montgomery said he gained confidence and experience during Ohio State’s College Football Playoff wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame. He felt prepared for those matchups because of his daily reps against JT Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton last season. “Playing the best defense day in and day out here can give you the most confidence possible to go out there and play your game on Saturday.”
• Montgomery said he’s found his “voice” in Ohio State’s offensive line room and locker room since the Buckeyes won the national title. “Here, you have to play to find your voice sometimes. It took me a little bit to get on the field, and that’s OK. Just trusting the process, trusting the Lord, and I think the timing was perfect in the Lord’s hands.”
• Montgomery said Tyler Bowen, Charlie Dickey, Marcus Johnson and Austin Fields have acclimated well to Ohio State. “He’s awesome,” Montgomery said of Bowen. “He’s amazing.” Montgomery added: “Having four guys is amazing.”

Austin Siereveld

“It's a privilege. It shows all the hard work everyone puts in, me, Sonny, JJ. And it shows that coach Mick really trusts us, and the process, and all the hard work and effort we put in this offseason.”– Austin Siereveld on being named an Iron Buckeye

• Cross-training at tackle has “really helped” Siereveld’s feet as he prepares to be a contributor again in 2025, and he’s “understanding the game a lot better.”
• On where he’s competing to play: “I think my role is just anywhere. I'm going to find a place to play, wherever it is, left, right, inside, outside. I feel like they're going to find a place for me to play, and I'm just trying to get better as a player and as a human being.”
• Siereveld is also trying to grow as a leader. “I got to set the example.”

Ethan Onianwa

“I try to live by being the hardest-working person on the field. That’s what I want to do. I want to spend the most time watching film, spend the most time after practice getting extra work.”– Ethan Onianwa on his mentality as a player

• Onianwa said he’s dropped 30 pounds since arriving at Ohio State. He weighs 335 pounds now and plans to stay at that weight.
• While some offensive linemen have been cross-training this spring, Onianwa said he’s been taking all of his reps at left tackle.
• Onianwa said he transferred to Ohio State because of the team culture. He said there was “a really good family connection” at Rice, and he wanted that at his new school.

Phillip Daniels

“It’s been great working with Ian. He’s crazy, I ain’t gonna lie. He’s one of the craziest younger dudes I’ve ever worked with. Working with him every day, getting better and better both at our crafts and different things. It’s been great working with Ian.”– Phillip Daniels on competing with Ian Moore at right tackle

• A Cincinnati native, Daniels grew up a Buckeye fan and called Ohio State his “dream school.” He added: “Even when I hit the portal, I wasn’t even really thinking of going here. But when they contacted me, coming here and seeing what was going on… it was like a family, a brotherhood, bringing me in even before I committed, so it was like, ‘OK, cool.’”
• On whether it’s “surreal” that he plays for Ohio State: “Somedays I wake up, and I look down at my shirt and it says Buckeyes, and I look around, walk in the facility, fingerprint works, and I’m like, ‘I’m really here. It’s time to work.’”
• Daniels said his “Welcome to Ohio State” moment was coming to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and seeing how athletic and talented Jeremiah Smith, Jelani Thurman, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and others are. “This is the real deal,” Daniels said of the Ohio State program.
• On his relationship with Ethan Onianwa: "That's my dog. We came into together. ... I talk to him every day. That's my boy. We're working on different things because he's on the left and I'm on the right, seeing things from different point of views. It's been great."

Ian Moore

“Arvell is probably one of the most athletic guys I have ever seen in my entire life. He probably runs a 4.4, 4.3 (40-yard dash). … Him bending that edge is – it’s not scary, but it’s kind of scary.”– Ian Moore on Arvell Reese

• Moore said he’s acclimated well to Tyler Bowen’s scheme up front. “Coach Bowen is great. I think he runs a lot like Coach Frye, so the transition wasn’t too crazy. You’ve got Coach Johnson and Coach Dickey, they’ve got – Coach Dickey, I know has got 30-plus years as a head O-line coach, so it’s great to have all these guys. The transition hasn’t been too crazy.”
• Moore said he’s been cross-training at multiple positions this offseason. “I’m doing anything I have to. I’ve been at right and left tackle. Today, I swung both ways. (It’s) probably 50-50. Coach Bowen calls it cross-training, so last week I was all right, this week I was all left, he’s just trying to get me acclimated.”
• On where he’s improved after one year as a Buckeye: “In terms of numbers, I’ve gotten a lot faster, a lot twitchier. My strength has always been above average, so that’s always been great. Out here (on the field), I think I’ve done a pretty good job in my sets with zone forward, gap forward, that kind of stuff.” Moore said he weighs between 310 and 315 pounds right now and wants to remain around that weight this fall.
• Moore said Ohio State’s edge rushers have helped him improve this offseason. He mentioned Reese, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Caden Curry and C.J. Hicks as players that have pushed him.

Joshua Padilla

“I feel like I’m ready. I feel like my strength is there right now. I’ve got my weight up to 300 pounds. I feel like I’m just ready if my name gets called.”– Joshua Padilla on how ready he is to play if OSU needs him

• Padilla says he’s solely repping at center right now.
• Padilla said he struggled to maintain his weight when he first arrived at Ohio State but has gotten better about putting it on and maintaining it in the last year.
• Seth McLaughlin made a big impact on how Padilla approaches the game. He said he now looks at first and second down differently because of the information learned from McLaughlin on reading defenses and how they shift. 

Deontae Armstrong

“I love him. I absolutely love him, absolutely love Coach Bowen. Not just his personality, but how he teaches the game of football. It really translates. The information he’s saying in these meetings really sticks in our players’ minds, especially me, the way he teaches ball.”– Deontae Armstrong on Tyler Bowen

• Armstrong said he weighed 270 pounds when he arrived at Ohio State. He then put on 50 pounds to weigh 320 during his freshman season and has since lost 15 pounds, checking in at 305 at the start of spring practices.
• On his goals for year two at Ohio State: “Just develop. Develop physically and mentally to the game. That’s something where the game slows down for you a lot. It’s slowed down for me. Now here in the spring, being a young guy, I have a little more experience. I’m learning the plays and executing at a high level.”
• Armstrong said Ohio State has great depth in the offensive line room. “We got the guys. We got the guys in the room. Left tackle to right tackle and all the way across, we got the guys and they got the toolbox to execute at a high level.”

Devontae Armstrong

“He’s just a genius in our eyes. The amount of thinking and just the next level of the way he teaches his offense, it really gets us going and makes us understand what our assignment is, what our job is.”– Devontae Armstrong on Tyler Bowen

• On the new offensive line coaching staff: “It’s great. We've got four coaches, all with a ton of experience from pretty much all over the place. So it's kind of picking their brains with their background and how they taught it. Just having that individualized experience.”
• On Austin Siereveld: “Great leader, not only vocally, but also as an example. He's a guy that when I’ve maybe not had my best practice, that I can go and watch film with him.”
• Armstrong said he’s been “bouncing around” positionally and taking reps “everywhere” across the offensive line.

Gabe VanSickle

“It’s definitely a challenge. We’re at the best – we’re at a really good (university), so it’s definitely been as hard as I thought it would be.”– Gabe VanSickle on his experience at Ohio State

• VanSickle said Ohio State’s offensive line has been more efficient during practice because of the number of coaches teaching the players. “I think Coach Bowen is a really good asset to this team. He’s a really good coach, really good person. And then obviously we have Coach Dickey, Coach Johnson and Coach Fields, who are all good additions.”
• Despite being a Michigan native, VanSickle said, “I wouldn’t say it’s that crazy” to be a Buckeye. VanSickle said he grew up a Michigan State fan and committed to Northwestern. “Then, Ohio State called me. I’m like, ‘You can’t pass that up.’ Now I’m here.”
• VanSickle said he’s focused on development entering his second season at Ohio State. As that occurs, VanSickle said he wants to “be what I need to be for this team to go win games.”

Carter Lowe

“It definitely helps a lot. Whenever you have a question, it’s so easy to get feedback.”– Carter Lowe on having four offensive line coaches

• Lowe said he’s dropped 20 pounds since arriving at Ohio State and now weighs 321 pounds.
• Lowe said he’s been taking all of his reps at left tackle so far.
• Lowe says he’s “building a really good relationship” with Tyler Bowen, who he described as “very level-headed, very humble.”

Jake Cook

“Everything’s more complex, so I’d say that’s the toughest part right now. You get better with each and every meeting you go through, though.”– Jake Cook on the toughest adjustment from high school to college

• Despite being recruited as a center, Cook said he’s taken most of his reps in spring football at left guard.
• Cook says he loves playing for Tyler Bowen and also enjoys the feedback from having multiple offensive line analysts on staff in addition.
• Cook says he’s looking up to Luke Montgomery the most so far for veteran leadership and watches his reps and how he approaches different defensive line alignments.

Jayvon McFadden

“I think playing tackle in high school helped me a lot going into the interior because I have pretty much quicker feet than guys on the inside. So I use that to my advantage.”– Jayvon McFadden on his transition from tackle to an interior lineman

• McFadden says he’s primarily working at right guard right now.
• McFadden enjoys hearing from both Tyler Bowen and the other offensive line analysts because their message is consistent and they’re always available to help him on his craft.
• McFadden says the biggest adjustment he’s had to make since coming to Ohio State is adapting to the Buckeyes’ culture since he views them as such a culture-oriented team. He added he’s really been buying in more and more as the days go by.