Ohio State faces tough decisions at offensive line in the 2022 recruiting class

The Buckeyes got back on the board at the offensive line spot on Friday when they added four-star offensive tackle George Fitzpatrick from Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colo. It was Ohio State’s first pick up at the position for the class since April 2020 when Lakota West (OH) standout Tegra Tshabola — another four-star offensive tackle — announced his pledge.

With two now being in the fold, and it being no secret that the Buckeyes are looking to add more behemoth’s along the offensive front in this cycle, there are now a couple of key decisions that need to be made by head coach Ryan Day in regards to the position.

How many should they take? Who, if they want in, should they take? Those are the two questions that could perhaps be the most interesting to follow as the coaching staff aims to put the finishing touches on this class.

Over 20 offers have gone out in the offensive trenches by Ohio State in this class — the most to any position outside of the defensive line, according to 247Sports. Despite eight of those prospects already being pledges elsewhere, it shows that they are making the spot a definite priority, and they should be.

But there are currently some differing opinions out there centered around just how many the Scarlet and Gray will take. Ohio State may or may not have a specific number that they are dead set on. But regardless, it’s safe to say that the Big Ten powerhouse in Columbus is hoping to secure anywhere from 3-5 offensive linemen to join Greg Studrawa’s offensive line room next year.

That’s a decision that will loom large for the Buckeyes with their name being linked to quite a few highly-touted players at the position, and that’s why the safe play is to remain flexible in regards to how many are brought along.

Three of the nation’s very best that Ohio State is connected to are five-star offensive tackle Zach Rice (No. 5 overall) of Liberty Christian Academy (VA), four-star offensive tackle Tyler Booker (No. 41) of IMG Academy (FL), and four-star offensive guard Earnest Greene (No. 57) of St. John Bosco (CA).

The Buckeyes were able to get official visits from the trio of elite-level lineman, but as of now, it feels like their chances are more favorable with both Booker and Greene than Rice.

There are five other guys inside of the 247Sports composite Top 150 players that Ohio State has a shot at. Four-star offensive tackle Kam Dewberry (No. 101) of Atascocita (TX), four-star offensive tackle Addison Nichols (No. 103) of Greater Atlanta Christian School (GA), four-star offensive tackle Aamil Wagner (No. 110) of Wayne (OH), and four-star offensive guard Carson Hinzman (No. 134) of Saint Croix Central (WI) all have made official visits to campus in June and all are very much in-play for the Buckeyes.

A few other names to monitor closely outside of the Top 150 would be four-star offensive guard Billy Schrauth (No. 159) and four-star offensive tackle Jaylon Early (No. 202) of Duncanville (TX).

That means that there are nine players right now that could be considered as realistic options for Ohio State. But, if they are really banking on taking just three in the class, it would leave just one more spot open and there are a lot of high-level players that — if they want in — should probably have a spot in the class.

So, expect Ohio State to take at least two more offensive lineman in the 2022 cycle. The question will just be who those remaining prospects are, and when they will commit.