Luke Montgomery Preparing For Starting Role With Guarded Optimism

The Buckeyes went into spring ball needing to replace just one departed starter on the offensive line. Offensive line coach Justin Frye was going to need to find a replacement for right guard Matt Jones, and he had several options.

On that first day of practice, Frye turned to sophomore Luke Montgomery. Montgomery played tackle and a little bit of “tight end” in some jumbo packages as a true freshman in 2023. Right guard was a new position for Montgomery, who spent his high school career as a tackle, tight end, and defensive end.

“It’s a little different for sure. I’m just getting used to it,” Montgomery said midway through camp. “Spring ball is all about technique. So getting used to the technique. It’s a little faster inside but I’m enjoying it. I’m having a lot of fun out there, especially with the guys I’m around. They’re awesome.”

Montgomery’s high school background and his basketball upbringing made him an intriguing recruit because of the versatility he could provide on the offensive line. So when Frye decided to try him out at guard this spring, Montgomery wasn’t opposed.

“I was open to all five,” he said. “You know, I think I can play all five and wherever they want me at that’s where I’m gonna be at on the field.”

No matter where a player lines up on the offensive line, it’s a developmental position. Having a second-year starter as one of the top five up front is not an annual thing for the Buckeyes, and Montgomery knows the job isn’t won yet.

The 15 spring practices were just the beginning. Summer workouts and fall camp will be the ultimate deciders on what the Buckeyes do at right guard, but Montgomery has done what he can to put himself in position. He has added speed, strength, and size, but is also careful not to get too big.

“You don’t want to gain too much weight because you want to keep your mobility and be able to have that speed still,” he said. “So I’m at a pretty good weight right now where I can still maneuver very well. And I’m very versatile still.”

Being the athlete he is, Luke Montgomery was excited to hear about the hire of new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Kelly is known for utilizing an up-tempo offense, which Montgomery has zero problems with.

“I’m one of those guys, I can run with the tempo,” he said. “I mean, I’ve been playing basketball my whole life instead of football and I feel like just the fast-paced offense that we’re running really fits the guys we have right now and I’m really excited for that.”

Playing some snaps last year as a jumbo tight end in OSU’s “Bison” package helped him get some experience on the field and exposed him to real college football. He played in Ohio Stadium in big games. He played at Notre Dame and Michigan.

Montgomery believes that experience has put him in a “good position” to contend for the job. But he also learned last year that the step up from high school to college is immense and it takes time to overcome.

“That’s what I struggled with when I first got here,” he said. “Just from where I came from, I was the best, and you don’t know it till you know it when you’re here. You’re playing against guys that are older than you and way more experienced and are a lot better than you and you’re gonna get beat. You just gotta keep getting back up and fighting.”

Facing Ohio State’s defensive line as a true freshman is the football equivalent of “sink or swim.” As a sophomore, however, Montgomery has kept his head above water.

“I go against him every day,” said redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Hero Kanu. “This man is strong. He’s got the basketball feet. It’s not like you can just do an inside move. He recovers really fast. He doesn’t give up on a play.”

Luke Montgomery doesn’t give up on plays and he’s nowhere near giving up on his goal of starting for the Buckeyes this year. The battle won’t be easy. When fall camp opens in early August, he could be contending with last year’s starting center Carson Hinzman, who got the start at right guard in the spring game.

That’s still a couple of months away, but the possibility of being a starter on the Ohio State offensive line will continue to push Montgomery.

“Yeah, that means a lot,” he said. “You know, you put a lot of work in to play here and it’s been a dream just being an Ohio kid and from an Ohio kid’s perspective. I mean, that’s the biggest wish possible.”

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