Ohio State right tackle Phillip Daniels may be on the same type of shaky footing in his starting spot right now that Tegra Tshabola was in at right guard in 2025. Notably, Tshabola is now elsewhere, transferring to Will Stein's Kentucky football program.
Cleveland.com's Stephen Means believes Daniels may need a strong performance against Texas this Saturday to maintain his starting spot on the right side.
“Philip Daniels is starting, but he’s on a short leash,” Means said on the Buckeye Talk podcast.
Means's co-hosts, Andrew Gillis and Stefan Krajisnik, believe interior offensive linemen Joshua Padilla and Gabe VanSickle also risk losing snaps as the season goes on if their level of play continues. Padilla didn't play at the guard spot at all against Ball State, being limited to snaps at center.
Is Ohio State's offensive line depth overstated?
You have the starting right guard not impressing many, and you have the IOL depth looking borderline unplayable. That's definitely enough issues to worry a little bit, even after just one week against a MAC opponent that was outscored by 53 points.
Ryan Day calling out the offensive line is understandably being taken as a sign that this year's trench depth may have been overstated, even if he did give a nod to the flexibility of the room.
Day said he wasn't happy about the run game early on against the Cardinals in Week 1. The interior offensive line was supposed to be a strength for the Buckeyes this year. Not so much against a "gimme" opponent.
OSU has plenty of returning talent along the offensive line. The growing-together narrative shouldn't apply here. It's just one week, but the competition gets unfathomably tough this season. Fans are looking for any slivers of hope that the run game will improve under first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Ohio State has prove-it game against Texas
The entire line will face a stiff test in Week 2 from a Longhorns defense that isn't weak anywhere. Texas has a particularly strong defensive front, with Will linebacker Rasheem Biles and Jack hybrid EDGE/linebacker Colin Simmons posing the biggest risks to the Buckeyes' backfield from different angles.
The right side of the line needs to prove itself, since even Austin Siereveld struggled, grading out with a 65.5 from PFF. So does left tackle Ian Moore. Moore had a 65.4 grade against Ball State. Even left guard Luke Montgomery struggled with a grade of 65.8.
DKR Stadium is going to be a hostile environment. Penalties didn't strike the starters too much against the Cardinals, but the louder the crowd, the easier it'll be to jump early. The environment will be jumping on the Forty Acres. OSU cannot give up yardage frequently before the snap like that.
If the Buckeyes' offensive trenches can handle the Longhorns, confidence against the rest of the Big Ten will rise drastically. Oregon may have proven against Boise State that the Ducks will be an easier defense to deal with than originally expected. Indiana looked more vulnerable than expected against North Texas's revamped offense.
Struggle, and you have to wonder how and why a veteran Ohio State offensive line is not playing up to its talent level.
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