Ohio State Football: Four biggest things to watch for in 2021
By Ryan Stano
The offensive line was not a huge issue last season. They were able to open up holes in the running game and were mainly able to keep Justin Fields upright. This year, it seems like the whole offensive line has moved around to make things a little bigger up front.
There will be a new left and right tackle this season. Nicholas Petit-Frere will shift to left tackle while Dawand Jones has emerged as the starter at right tackle. So what about All-American tackle Thayer Munford? He has now shifted to left guard to make room for jones.
Add that to having tackle Paris Johnson Jr. start at guard and Harry Miller shifting to center, and you have a whole lot of movement up front. Miller was perhaps the worst lineman the Buckeyes had a year ago and now he is shifting positions. That is slightly concerning to me.
With all of the changes up front, the thing I’m watching the most is how Jones is able to handle himself at right tackle. This will be the first time that he gets significant playing time. He’s going to have a lot on his plate with a new starting quarterback and stable of running backs behind him.
How the offensive line protects C.J. Stroud will go a long way in determining not only Stroud’s success, but how the team is able to perform as a whole. This is a huge offensive line unit in both height and weight, so it will be interesting to see how well they move around.
The next thing I’m watching for comes on the defensive side of the ball.