Ohio State football: Figuring out the offensive line

The Ohio State football team has to do some shuffling on the offensive line after doing some work in the transfer portal. They added Seth McLaughlin to the fold after the Cotton Bowl made it abundantly clear the Buckeyes needed help up front. The offensive line still is the single biggest area of concern.

Grabbing McLaughlin is a good start to improving the offensive line. It does mean that there will be some shuffling up front. The Buckeyes could not block Michigan in the passing game or Missouri at really any point. McLaughlin is an elite blocker, even if he had issues snapping the ball as a center at Alabama. We know he’s going to start, it’s just a matter of at what position.

Who will start on the offensive line for the Ohio State football team?

I’m pretty confident that the work for Ohio State up front is not over. They will be active in the transfer portal again once the Spring window opens. They likely will be looking to upgrade the tackle position because neither tackle was any good last season. As of right now though, both tackles will likely retain their starting spots.

Josh Simmons will likely stay at left tackle despite committing the most penalties of any of the offensive linemen. Donovan Jackson is coming back and is a guaranteed starter at left guard. Center is where things get a little interesting. I tend to think Carson Hinzman should stay and McLaughlin should move to right guard, but I think the opposite is going to happen.

Right tackle is perhaps the position with the most intrigue. Josh Fryar was abysmal in pass protection. Ohio State didn’t get any tackles from the portal, so they have to develop players from within. I think they should start Luke Montgomery at right tackle and move Fryar to the bench. Montgomery was one of the top offensive line recruits in the state of Ohio in the 2023 class.

This is the position group that has the most questions surrounding it. I’ll be very interested to see how the Buckeyes handle the depth chart in the Spring.