What the offensive line may look like come September for Ohio State

“There are two things that are clear after nine practices, Munford is the starting left tackle and Josh Myers has solidified himself as the starting center.”

-Stephen Means, Cleveland.com

One of the key questions going into spring practices (and the summer) for many people that follow the Ohio State Buckeyes is what the offensive line will look like this season. According to Stephen Means of Cleveland.com, the main things that have become evident from the early spring practices are that Josh Meyers is the starting center and Thayer Munford is the left tackle. These developments are not surprising and were widely expected. But it does beg the question: What might the other three positions look like?

This could turn out to be a young line and a very inexperienced one, especially together. Munford will miss all of spring to rehab an injury, so he will not get to practice with any of the new guys. Josh Meyers is taking over for Michael Jordan as he left for the NFL Draft and, will have big shoes to fill as he steps into the center role.

Branden Bowen will likely be looked upon to fill the left guard role after a promising career has been cut short due to injuries, but the redshirt senior will have a chance to finish strong as he enters this season healthy and ready to make his mark.

Ryan Day and staff will turn to young guys like Wyatt Davis, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Matthew Jones and Max Wray to fill out the rest of the line and be the protection up front for Justin Fields and J.K. Dobbins. This is a young group that will not have much experience together but still has a ton of potential between them. Look for Munford and Bowen to be the leaders of this group, and help teach and mentor the young guys on the line.

“The five-player class, which consisted of shooting guards JaQuan Lyle and Austin Grandstaff, center Daniel Giddens, point guard A.J. Harris, and small forward Mickey Mitchell, was ranked No. 5 in the country and atop the Big Ten in that year’s recruiting cycle.”

-Josh Poloha, Waiting for next year

The Ohio State men’s basketball team was set up for gold in 2015. Thad Matta was able to bring in a top-five class in the country and the top class in the Big Ten. Now, in 2019, these five guys have all finished their senior season with the Buckeyes and will finish as one of the best classes in Ohio State basketball history right? Wrong.

When the 2019 season got underway last November, none of these five guys were on the roster—and the remnants of this class included five transfers out of Columbus and onto other schools. So what happened to this class and where are they now?

Austin Grandstaff has made the most stops throughout his career as he transferred after just 10 games for Ohio State to Oklahoma during the Buddy Hield tenure, and ended up not playing a single game for the Sooners. Grandstaff then transferred to DePaul where he struggled mightily and never became the knockdown shooter many thought he could be. Currently, he is out of basketball and pursuing a music career.

Mickey Mitchell transferred to Arizona State where his production has dwindled. This season, he saw action in six games. AJ Harris went to New Mexico State where he has had a decent career, averaging 9.5 points per game and 26 minutes per game in his two seasons with the Aggies.

JaQuan Lyle lasted the longest at Ohio State, but eventually transferred to New Mexico where he had to sit out a season due to NCAA transfer rules. He missed last season due to an Achilles injury, so he has yet to see the floor since his transfer.

The most interesting of the five is Daniel Giddens, who might actually be returning.

Giddens was at Alabama for his collegiate career where he was never much of a rotation member or factor, but he has graduated from Alabama and entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer. Since this, Ohio State has been mentioned multiple times as his possible destination. The Buckeyes could use a big man with the transfers of Micah Potter and Jaedon LeDee over the past year and would be interesting to see how Giddens could be a contributor on this team.

“Ohio State’s Dre’Mont Jones began the pre-draft process as a possible top-20 pick, but is now generally considered a mid-second round player.”

-Sam Penix, Clutchpoints.com

Most of the Ohio State NFL Draft buzz has been centered around Nick Bosa, Dwayne Haskins and the receiving trio that all had a great combine. However, the one prospect that has gone under the radar is Dre’Mont Jones.

In Mel Kiper’s recent prospect rankings, he has Jones listed as the seventh best defensive tackle available and a second round selection. Jones had a solid season with the Buckeyes, closing out his collegiate career with 43 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. This is a great season to lead him into the NFL, but some concerns about his readiness have hurt his draft stock.

Jones struggles to get off of double teams and will get taken fully out of the play. Also Jones did not have a great combine to show off his athleticism, and guys like Bosa and Ed Oliver put up much better numbers. Jones is still a solid prospect, but will have to show some teams that his strengths makeup for his weaknesses.

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