Tale of the Tape: Knowing the basics of Buckeyes offensive line options
The summer offseason is in full swing, and Lettermen Row is trying to survive it with our annual Position Week breakdowns. By the time all nine units and coaching staff at Ohio State have been covered, training camp and media days will nearly have arrived, and the return of football in the Horseshoe will be just around the corner. We’re continuing with our fifth and final offensive positional week with an retooled unit: the Buckeyes offensive line.
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is undergoing major changes on the offensive line.
Gone are both starting tackles, one of which was a top-10 overall draft pick in the spring’s NFL Draft. Also gone is center Luke Wypler, who was the leader of the line for the last two seasons.
Justin Frye and the staff have their hands full replacing all three while maintaining a national-title standard. The good news? They have plenty of talented options.
Lettermen Row is kicking off Offensive Line Week by taking a look at the basics of who could become the next starting five offensive linemen at Ohio State. Let’s dive in.
Sure-thing starters
Sixth-year right guard Matthew Jones
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 312 pounds
High school: Erasmus Hall (Brooklyn, New York)
On3 Industry Ranking: Matthew Jones was ranked as the No. 72 overall player in the country, the No. 7 tackle and the No. 2 player in the state of New York in the class of 2018.
Picked Buckeyes over: Jones picked Ohio State over a massive list of programs that included Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin
Starts at Ohio State: Jones has started 18 games for the Buckeyes across five seasons, including all but one game last season.
Third-year left guard Donovan Jackson
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 320 pounds
High school: Episcopal (Houston, Texas)
On3 Industry Ranking: Donovan Jackson was ranked as the No. 14 overall player in the country, the No. 1 interior offensive lineman and the No. 5 player in the state of Texas in the class of 2021.
Picked Buckeyes over: Jackson picked Ohio State over a massive list of programs, nearly all of the big-name programs around the country.
Starts at Ohio State: Jackson has 13 career starts, all coming last season for the Buckeyes.
Left tackle candidate
Fourth-year tackle Josh Fryar
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 320 pounds
High school: Beech Grove (Beech Grove, Indiana)
On3 Industry Ranking: Josh Fryar was ranked as the No. 483 overall player in the country, the No. 29 offensive tackle and the No. 4 player in the state of Indiana in the class of 2020.
Picked Buckeyes over: Fryar picked Ohio State over Penn State, Florida State, Indiana and others.
Starts at Ohio State: Fryar has just one career start, but he has plenty of experience on the field for the Buckeyes.
Right tackle candidates
Third-year offensive tackle Josh Simmons
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 300 pounds
High school: Helix (La Mesa, California)
On3 Industry Ranking: Josh Simmons was ranked as the No. 366 overall player in the country, the No. 24 interior offensive lineman and the No. 31 player in the state of California in the class of 2021.
Picked Buckeyes over: Simmons transferred to Ohio State from San Diego State. He picked the Aztecs over select Pac 12 schools coming out of high school.
Starts at Ohio State: Simmons has no career starts at Ohio State, but he did start 13 games for San Diego State last season.
Third-year tackle Zen Michalski
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 310 pounds
High school: Floyd Central (Floyds Knob, Indiana)
On3 Industry Ranking: Zen Michalski was ranked as the No. 292 overall player in the country, the No. 25 offensive tackle and the No. 3 player in the state of Indiana in the class of 2021.
Picked Buckeyes over: Michalski picked Ohio State over Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana and others.
Starts at Ohio State: Michalski has no career starts for the Buckeyes.
Second-year offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola
Height: 6-foot-6
Weight: 327 pounds
High school: Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio)
On3 Industry Ranking: Tegra Tshabola was ranked as the No. 114 overall player in the country, the No. 8 interior offensive lineman and the No. 6 player in the state of Ohio in the class of 2022.
Picked Buckeyes over: Tshabola picked Ohio State over Kentucky and others.
Starts at Ohio State: Tshabola has no career starts for the Buckeyes.
Center candidates
Second-year center Carson Hinzman
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 300 pounds
High school: Saint Croix Central (Hammond, Wisconsin)
On3 Industry Ranking: Carson Hinzman was ranked as the No. 167 overall player in the country, the No. 12 interior offensive lineman and the No. 3 player in the state of Wisconsin in the class of 2022.
Picked Buckeyes over: Hinzman committed to the Buckeyes over Wisconsin and other top Big Ten programs.
Starts at Ohio State: Hinzman has no career starts for the Buckeyes.
Fifth-year center Victor Cutler
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 295 pounds
High school: West Monroe (West Monroe, Louisiana)
On3 Industry Ranking: Victor Cutler was ranked as the No. 2,888 overall player in the country, the No. 217 interior offensive lineman and the No. 95 player in the state of Louisiana in the class of 2019.
Picked Buckeyes over: Cutler committed to the Buckeyes after spending four seasons at Louisiana-Monroe.
Starts at Ohio State: Cutler has no career starts for the Buckeyes. He did, however, start 21 games at three positions for the Warhawks during his time at Louisiana-Monroe.
Fourth-year center Jakob James
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 297 pounds
High school: Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio)
On3 Industry Ranking: Jakob James was ranked as the No. 908 overall player in the country, the No. 91 interior offensive lineman and the No. 32 player in the state of Ohio in the class of 2020.
Picked Buckeyes over: James picked Ohio State early in the process, before other programs offered.
Starts at Ohio State: James has no career starts for the Buckeyes.
Other potential contributors
Fifth-year guard Enokk Vimahi
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 310 pounds
High school: Kahuku (Kahuku, Hawaii)
On3 Industry Ranking: Enokk Vimahi was ranked as the No. 120 overall player in the country, the No. 8 interior offensive lineman and the No. 2 player in the state of Hawaii in the class of 2019.
Picked Buckeyes over: James picked Ohio State early in the process, before other programs offered.
Starts at Ohio State: James has no career starts for the Buckeyes.
