The Ohio State football team had a strange start to the season. They shuffled their offensive line around, trying to find the best combination. They couldn't find anyone they liked at the guard position. The strangest thing of it all is that Carson Hinzman was not one of the starting offensive linemen.
After starting the entire 2023 season at center, a position he wasn't recruited to play, he was suddenly on the bench. It didn't make much sense that they didn't put him at one of the guard spots, considering that was his natural position. Perhaps it was the fact that he was benched for the Cotton Bowl due to a podcast appearance. In fact, he got passed up by three other guards.
Eventually, they started Hinzman at guard once Josh Simmons went down. He played well, which wasn't a surprise. Then, Seth McLaughlin went down, so he had to slide back to center. He went from starter to bench rider, to starting at guard, back to starting center. It was a wild ride.
Ohio State football player Carson Hinzman has had a crazy collegiate career
As the Buckeyes enter 2025, Hinzman will now be the starting center. There is no question that he will be the starter this time around. In fact, he might be the best returning offensive lineman that the Ohio State Buckeyes have this year. That's a pretty big 180 from how last year started for him.
Of course, there are some things Hinzman still needs to worry about. He has to work at getting his snaps higher. This was an issue he had in 2023, and it reared its ugly head again during the CFP run last season. He needs to practice getting snaps in the shotgun to the quarterback's chest.
Hinzman has proven that he is a good blocker now that he has gotten his strength up. Now, he can be the reliable force that the Buckeyes always thought he could be. He has to be happy that he is back in a spot that he is comfortable.