Welcome to Buckeyes Crootin’ 2022 Class-In-Review, with me, Shane Bailey — or as many of you may know me @BuckeyesCrootin on Twitter. In this series I will be discussing and highlighting the strengths of all of the 2022 Ohio State football commitments, along with what to expect when they get to Columbus. If you missed any of my prior articles, I covered RB Dallan Hayden here, WR Kaleb Brown here, Kyion Grayes here and Caleb Burton here, and Kojo Antwi here.

Current 2022 Offensive Commits

Quarterback: None
Running back: Dallan Hayden
Wide Receiver: Caleb Burton, Kyion Grayes, Kaleb Brown, and Kojo Antwi
Tight End: Bennett Christian
Offensive Line: Tegra Tshabola and George Fitzpatrick

Offensive Tackle Tegra Tshabola - Lakota West, HS - West Chester (Ohio) - 6-foot-6, 357 lbs.

As we continue through the 2022 Ohio State recruiting class, we are on to the position group that can make or break any team with national championship aspirations. As a former quarterback, these guys were my favorite teammates, and the ones that I always tried to keep happy in order to make sure that I was on my feet more than my ass.

Today, we are talking about the first lineman to commit to Ohio State in the class of 2022, Tegra Tshabola. The Ohio native is ranked 181st nationally in the 247sports Composite Rankings, the 19th best offensive tackle, and the seventh best prospect in Ohio. He is teammates with fellow Ohio State Buckeye commitment Jyaire Brown at Lakota West High School in West Chester, Ohio. Tegra is a legitimate 6-foot-6 with a huge wingspan to boot and gives you an ideal frame to work with if you are strength coach Mick Marotti.

Tshabola has the ability to play either guard or tackle at the next level for Greg Studrawa, and provides the Buckeyes with flexibility at the position. Positional flexibility is a great thing to have on the o-line, just take a look at Paris Johnson Jr. and Thayer Munford. Both tackles that are playing guard for the good of the team, and in Johnsons case, seeing the field earlier than likely otherwise would.

That seems to be the motto for the Ohio State offensive line this year, “Just get the five best on the field.” So the flexibility of playing multiple positions bodes well for future playing time for Tshabola.

The Buckeye commit is an absolutely massive lineman who has a great frame and wingspan to go along with it. He moves extremely well for someone of his size and you will be shocked at the mobility that he shows when pulling in the run game. He is quite adept at getting to the second and even third levels to block linebackers and defensive backs in the run game, making it easier for the running back or receiver to make cuts in the open field off of his blocks.

Tshabola also has the nasty demeanor that is required to be an elite run-blocker, and on film appears to be an absolute road-grader in that regard. He has good balance and bend to utilize his core strength when gaining leverage on the defender. He is a bowling ball of pent up energy and power that runs over defensive linemen in the running game, punishing any who dare to get in his way.

The 6-foot-6 lineman gets so many pancakes he could open his own diner, there were more defenders on their backs than upright in his mid-season highlight tape, which you should watch below. Tshabola has those same non-stop feet that I mentioned that Bennett Christian also had in my article last week; constantly driving and not giving any ground.

Going back to the athleticism aspect, Tshabola also has shockingly quick feet as well. This simply means that he has a quick kickout off of the snap, allowing him to gain distance from the line of scrimmage and get leverage on elite pass rushers.

It could be improved, however, and certainly will be with further practice and time spent in the weight room. Leverage and positioning are crucial in pass blocking, and his technique will only improve with collegiate coaching. He has a powerful punch with his hands when first making contact with the defender, giving them a quick jolt throwing them off balance when trying to round the corner to rush the passer.

I have written a number of these articles on the 2022 class so far and always agreed with the players rankings for the most part — apart from maybe thinking Dallan Hayden was a tad underrated. However, after all of the tape that I watched on Tshabola, I can say without a doubt that he is extremely under-ranked.

This is the first article in the series for which I watched some of the tapes multiple times just because I enjoyed the player’s on-field style so much. I absolutely love having maulers up front that are physical and play with a nastiness and edge to them. Tshabola is that kind of guy.

Establishing a physical tone to a football game early is something coaches always preach and it is something that I can see on tape that the future Buckeye will have no problem with once he gets to Columbus.

Buckeye fans love to give offensive line coach Greg Studrawa flak for his recruiting “misses” and lack of out-of-state five-star wins, but yet the Buckeyes consistently have one of the best offensive lines in the country. One might say, “Oh, this is an Ohio kid, the Buckeyes are expected to land those.”

And while that is true, this was no easy recruiting win over Kentucky and other Big Ten schools, and one that should definitely be a credit to Stud. This isn't just another offensive lineman either, I believe Tegra has an opportunity to be a multi-year starter for the Buckeyes.

Ohio State might only have two offensive line commitments thus far in the 2022 class, but it will not end up that way, as they are still in on a few elite ones that are waiting closer to signing day to announce their decision. I believe that the Buckeyes have already landed two elite ones — despite what some of the recruiting rankings might say — and next week I am going to be highlighting the tight end turned lineman, George Fitzpatrick.