Spring Preview: Plenty Of Questions As Buckeyes Build Offensive Line

Overview

Right guard Tegra Tshabola is the lone returning full-time starter from the 2024 team, but three others who can now be considered returning starters are back as well. The interior brings back a ton of experience, but two new tackles must be found. Even there, however, there are possibilities who have starting history under their respective belts.

Scholarship Roster

Ethan Onianwa, rSr, 6-6 340
Transfer from Rice where he was a three-year starter, with the first two years coming at right tackle and last year at left tackle.

Tegra Tshabola, rJr, 6-6 327
Started every game at right guard last year for the Buckeyes. One of the elder statesmen of the Ohio State offensive line.

Carson Hinzman, rJr, 6-5 300
Back for what is essentially the third year as the starting center for the Buckeyes.

Luke Montgomery, Jr, 6-5 308
Took over at left guard in the playoffs and blossomed after not playing much for most of the season.

Austin Siereveld, rSoph, 6-5 320
A surprising starter at left guard at the beginning of the season who then remained in the guard rotation during the entire 2024 season.

Joshua Padilla, rSoph, 6-4 295
Backup center who needs to get a little bigger and stronger, but well understands leverage and the Ohio State offense.

Phillip Daniels, rSoph, 6-5 315
Transferred in from Minnesota after starting four games at the end of the 2024 regular season.

Ian Moore, rFr, 6-6 309
Improved throughout his true freshman season last year and will factor in this year in the two-deep.

Gabe VanSickle, rFr, 6-5 285
Did not see any snaps last season after enrolling last June. Should make progress after experiencing his first spring this year.

Deontae Armstrong, rFr, 6-6 298
Athletic prospect who will be contending for a spot in the two-deep at one of the tackle spots.

Devontae Armstrong, rFr, 6-5 303
Physical prospect who will be contending for a spot in the two-deep at one of the guard spots.

Jake Cook, Fr, 6-5 295
A three-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting class who could begin his career at center for the Buckeyes.

Carter Lowe, Fr, 6-5 320

Ryan Day has said that Carter Lowe could factor in at guard or tackle for the Buckeyes, giving them some flexibility thanks to his skill set.

Jayvon McFadden, Fr, 6-4 285
Athletic prospect who will get a first look at offensive tackle but won’t be needed this year for the Buckeyes.

For Starters

Nine different offensive linemen started games for the Buckeyes last season and four of them return this year. Of the starting five against Texas and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff last year, only left tackle Donovan Jackson and right tackle Josh Fryar are gone. Right guard Tegra Tshabola started every game last season. Redshirt freshman Austin Siereveld started six games at left guard. Sophomore Luke Montgomery started twice at left guard — including the Texas and Notre Dame games. Redshirt sophomore Carson Hinzman started three games at left guard and then moved to center and started the final six games of the season. Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa was a three-year starter at right tackle and left tackle. Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels started four games at right tackle last season as a redshirt freshman.

New Additions

There are five new additions to the Ohio State offensive line room. Phillip Daniels and Ethian Onianwa transferred in from Minnesota and Rice, respectively. Carter Lowe is a four-star prospect out of Toledo Whitmer High School. He was ranked the No. 11 offensive tackle in the nation. Maryland prospect Jayvon McFadden was ranked the No. 24 interior line prospect in the class, though he could start out at tackle for the Buckeyes. Westerville North prospect Jake Cook is ranked one spot ahead of McFadden as the No. 23 interior line prospect.

Spring Depth Chart

Left Tackle

67	Austin Siereveld
72	Deontae Armstrong OR
NA	Phillip Daniels

Left Guard

51	Luke Montgomery
73	Devontae Armstrong
NA	Carter Lowe

Center

75	Carson Hinzman
62	Joshua Padilla
NA	Jake Cook

Right Guard

77	Tegra Tshabola
58	Gabe VanSickle

Right Tackle

69	Ian Moore
NA	Ethan Onianwa
NA	Jayvon McFadden

You’d have a better chance of your March Madness bracket staying perfect on day one than correctly predicting the spring three-deep on the offensive line.

What’s The Latest

As of a week ago, the latest intel had Austin Siereveld beginning camp at left tackle and Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa at right tackle. Redshirt freshman Ian Moore closed the 2024 season in a positive manner, so he’ll be in the mix as well. What does this mean for Phillip Daniels, who played right tackle last year for the Gophers? There could also be too much being made of where guys start out, when the more important situation is where they finish.

Expectations

Expect a lot of mixing and matching. Spring is for individual improvement, but it can also inform the coaches on where players can’t play. One of the things that observers have to be careful of is making sweeping declarations based on a first or second glance. Just as quarterbacks rotate throughout the ones, twos, and threes, so will the offensive line, especially early on. Reporters will be on hand for the first two practices, which is going to generate a bunch of half truths and temporary facts.

Question Needing An Answer

How deep can this offensive line go? New offensive line coach Tyler Bowen is still learning his unit, but the Buckeyes should be pretty well set on his starting guards and center. Who are the players making up the rest of the two-deep on the interior? Also, how much time will the transfers need? A month? Six months? A year? Phillip Daniels and Ethan Onianwa bolster the tackle position, but how much and how soon?

Breakout Candidate

As a true freshman last season, Ian Moore eventually worked his way into being the backup right tackle for the Buckeyes. It was a productive rise for the Indiana native, and it wasn’t just by default because of the injuries to tackles Josh Simmons and Zen Michalski. Moore got better and better as the season went on and was able to take the classroom to the practice field. Teammates noticed it and the buzz is growing that Moore is going to be contending for a starting spot this year. In fact, don’t be surprised if he runs with the ones during the spring.

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