Ohio State Football: Paris Johnson is ready to maul opponents at guard

With the Ohio State football team making some adjustments on the offensive line, Johnson has a new position to dominate in.

On the Ohio State football team, Paris Johnson Jr. is a mountain of a man standing at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds. Johnson’s future is likely at offensive tackle. But for now, he’s doing what it takes to help the Buckeyes. Johnson is expected to start at right guard after his prolific play at guard in last year’s postseason.

Clearly, Johnson is going to be a large starting guard. His size shouldn’t hold him back though thanks to his supreme athleticism. As a recruit, Johnson was ranked as the top offensive tackle in the country after all. He is one of the more talented offensive linemen OSU has possessed in its rich history.

Blocking at guard is a lot different than playing tackle. There are obviously some different ideas as far as technique when playing guard. When transitioning from tackle, Johnson had to learn the differences with blocking at guard. Greg Studrawa, Ohio State’s Offensive Line coach, discussed Johnson’s transition to guard and how he’s done this offseason,

"But what this has taught Paris is, he has to play with a lot lower leverage than you have to play at tackle. And he’s done that, he’s really, really got that down now. His pad level right now coming off the ball, he’s destroying people."

Studrawa also went on to describe how former offensive tackles at guard are usually quicker off the ball in comparison to most guards. This will allow Johnson to make contact with defensive linemen quicker than usual. Between quickness and Johnson’s power, he could excel at guard.

If Johnson gets his hands on someone, it’s usually over for that defender. While college football is of course a much higher level of play, Johnson basically had a pancake highlight reel in high school. Think back to his appearance against Clemson, he had an imposing pancake. In this year’s Spring game, Johnson was taking defenders to the ground.

Johnson has a bright future at his traditional spot, offensive tackle. For now, Johnson is focused on guard and he could be elite this year. Ohio State had this planned all offseason, nearly all of Johnson’s reps have been at guard. Johnson has put in the right preparation to play at guard, he’s ready.

Honestly, the potential is there for Johnson to have an All-American type of season at guard. His ceiling is just that high, even out of position he can perform at a very high level. Johnson could be just the kind of dominating force the Ohio State football team needs to replace former anchors like Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis.