Ethan Onianwa Chose The Culture, Competitiveness Of Ohio State

Ohio State went into the transfer portal in the winter looking for an experienced left tackle. Rice left tackle Ethan Onianwa went into the transfer portal in the winter wanting to land at a place like Ohio State that would push him to be his best in his final season of college football.

Onianwa was a three-year starter at Rice. He started at right tackle as a redshirt freshman and sophomore, then made the move to left tackle last year as a fourth-year junior. So far this spring, OSU offensive line coach Tyler Bowen has had Onianwa spending the bulk of his time at left tackle.

The adjustment from Rice to Ohio State has only confirmed his reasons for reaching out to the Buckeyes when he went into the portal.

“You can just tell that the guys here are competitive, they want to be great, they want to be the best in the country, and they showed that last year,” Onianwa said this week. “It just really stood out because back at my old school, there was a really good family connection, and I was kind of afraid of whether I would find that at another school. But here, the guys were really close knit. We’re all pushing each other and trying to be the best.”

Onianwa chose the transfer portal over entering the NFL Draft. Seen by some scouts as a day-two pick, he chose another year of development.

“Yeah, I mean, that was on my mind, but at the same time, I also realized that I wanted to continue to develop and continue to grow, which is why I wanted to find a good school where I can have a good OL coach that’s going to help and mentor me, and Coach Bowen is it,” Onianwa said. “I’ve always known it’s all about getting better and improving at things that were big discrepancies in my game.”

Onianwa is developing both on the field and off the field. He has dropped 30 pounds since he arrived and is now at a more comfortable playing weight of 335 pounds. The strength and nutrition staff put together a solid plan for him and he acted on it.

He’s done the same thing when it comes to the practice field and playbook as well.

“He’s done a great job, very coachable, working his tail off,” Bowen said. “I’ve been impressed with Ethan. Just number one, he obviously is an impressive size guy from size, length, but it’s his smarts, it’s his work ethic. The way he approaches it every day, that’s been the most impressive to me.”

Ethan Onianwa’s approach could have him starting for the Buckeyes at left tackle this season, and well prepared to boot.

“I try to live by being the hardest-working person on the field,” Onianwa said. “So, I mean, that’s how I want to do it. I want to spend the most time watching films, spend the most time after practice getting extra work because you want to have that edge.”