Ohio State offensive lineman Enokk Vimahi enters transfer portal
COLUMBUS — Ohio State veteran offensive lineman Enokk Vimahi has entered the transfer portal, Lettermen Row has learned.
He is a graduate transfer who will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Vimahi played 100 total offensive line snaps last season — and then 10 on special teams. He started in the Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri, playing 57 snaps.
Although he is a sixth-year senior, he was not expected to contribute for the Buckeyes starting offensive line this season.
Updated offensive line depth chart projection
Projected starters: LT Josh Simmons, LG Donovan Jackson, C Seth McLaughlin, RG Tegra Tshabola, RT Josh Fryar
Last year was a transition year for the Ohio State offensive line after losing three starters from the stellar 2022 line to the NFL. The tackles were average — at their best — and the interior became leaky as the season went on. It must be better. Left tackle Josh Simmons quietly developed into the Buckeyes best offensive lineman last season, especially into October and November. He and Donovan Jackson have the left side of the line locked down already, and the Buckeyes keep praising Alabama transfer and former Crimson Tide starting center Seth McLaughlin.
The question is on the right side, but there seems to be progress there following the spring. And the spring game was certainly telling. Josh Fryar has been impressive in spring in trying to retain his starting role at tackle. Sophomore Luke Montgomery looked good at right guard early, but it was actually last year’s starting center, Carson Hinzman, and Tegra Tshabola who took first-team reps at right guard in the spring game. Ohio State has been toying with other options at right guard, but with what we know right now, Tshabola is Lettermen Row‘s the pick to start as of early May.
*** Right guard is the most in-flux spot on the offense.
Key backups: Luke Montgomery, George Fitzpatrick, Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman, Ian Moore, Josh Padilla
Ohio State likes the potential a lot of these projected backups possess. And the developmental path this offseason could push any of them into the conversation for the starting lineup. But some of them still might not be ready to start this fall, meaning they’ll be pivotal backups. Ohio State has been through a good stroke of luck during the past few years with no offensive line injuries. The Buckeyes might not get so lucky next season, but the depth should be better this fall than it was in 2023. Young talent is beginning to show up behind the projected starting lineup. It needs to take a major step forward through the rest of spring to ensure the distant future of the offensive line is in good hands.
