We continue our positional rankings of Ohio State’s 2024 opponents with a look at the 12 offensive lines the Buckeyes will face this season. As you might expect with Ohio State’s non-conference schedule, the best offensive lines they will see on the field this year all come from the Big Ten.
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1. Oregon [Game 6, October 12 – Away]
The Ducks are replacing an All-American center and a starting right guard. They added Indiana’s Matthew Bedford, who started everywhere but center in his five years for the Hoosiers. Josh Conerly and Ajani Cornelius will be the best tackle duo the Buckeyes face this year. True freshman Iapani Laloulu got the start at center in last year’s bowl game and is expected to be fine this year.
2. Iowa [Game 5, October 5 – Home]
The Iowa offensive line returns 154 career starts. Five starters are back and three other players with starting experience return as well. Center Logan Jones is seen by some as the Big Ten’s best. Guards Connor Colby and Nic DeJong were both Third-Team All-Big Ten picks last year. Tackles Gennings Dunker and Mason Richman were Honorable Mention selections. This group has seen it all.
3. Nebraska [Game 7, October 26 – Home]
Two starters from last season must be replaced but the Huskers will field eight offensive linemen with starting experience. Center Ben Scott has 39 career starts and was named an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten player last year. Right tackle Bryce Benhart was also an Honorable Mention selection. Guard Micah Mazzccua comes over from Florida where he started 21 games at left guard.
4. Purdue [Game 9, November 9 – Home]
There are 165 career starts on the Purdue offensive line, but many of those starts came in the MAC. Guard Jalen Grant (27) and tackle Corey Stewart (30) come over from Bowling Green and Ball State, respectively. Stewart could be the guy at left tackle. Gus Hartwig is seen as one of the best centers in the league. This group is loaded with upperclassmen.
5. Penn State [Game 8, November 2 – Away]
Penn State loses a pair of starting tackles and a starting center from last year’s team, which means they’ll have an uphill climb putting together a cohesive unit this year. Right guard Sal Wormley is a three-year starter with All-Big Ten potential. Drew Shelton has started six games at left tackle over the past two seasons, so he’s got some experience. There are options, but not like last year’s.
6. Michigan [Game 12, November 30 – Home]
Michigan loses all five starters from last year and a valuable sixth man as well. They went to the portal for Northwestern guard Josh Priebe who has 28 career starts. He was a Third-Team All-Big Ten selection last year. Myles Hinton returns at one of the tackles. He has over 20 career starts but struggled last year. Confidence is high in junior Greg Crippen at center. A lot has to happen here.
7. Indiana [Game 11, November 23 – Home]
The Indiana offensive line has about 120 games of starting experience, though half of those starts came from players who transferred over from James Madison with new head coach Curt Cignetti. One of those players is seventh-year senior Nick Kidwell, who was a two-time All-Conference player. Left tackle Carter Smith started 12 games last year as a redshirt freshman.
8. Northwestern [Game 10, November 16 – Away]
Northwestern has 78 career starts returning this year on the offensive line, but even the returning starters are question marks. The Wildcats replace two full-time starters from last year. Sixth-year senior Jack Bailey will be somewhere on the inside. He transferred in from Colorado where he spent a year after transferring over from Kent State. He has 24 career starts at left guard.
9. Michigan State [Game 4, September 28 – Away]
The Spartans return just 31 FBS starts on the offensive line, and 13 of them come from Oregon State transfer interior lineman Tanner Miller. Starting left tackle Brandon Baldwin is back. Interior lineman Luke Newman has 37 career starts, but they came at Holy Cross. New head coach Jonathan Smith is going to have to piece this one together.
10. Western Michigan [Game 2, September 7 – Home]
Two starters are gone but six players with starting experience return. Senior center Jacob Gideon was a First-Team All-Mac pick last year. He has 22 career starts to his credit. Left guard Addison West was a Third-Team All-Mac selection. The Broncos will have one of the best offensive lines in the conference this season, returning 92 career starts.
11. Marshall [Game 3, September 21 – Home]
Maintaining any kind of consistency on the offensive line is incredibly difficult for smaller schools because their best players can be easily lured into the transfer portal. Marshall lost one starter to the portal and brought in six other possibilities. Transfers have been added from Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Tulsa, and Baylor. Third-Team All-Conference center Logan Osburn returns.
12. Akron [Game 1, August 31 – Home]
The Akron offensive line is a who’s who of when and where. There are transfers from other schools all over the place as head coach Joe Moorhead tries to put a working starting five together. Starting center Tyhler Williams returns, and there is some starting experience elsewhere, but three full-time starters are gone. This is expected to be one of the poorer lines in the MAC.
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