Before Ohio State turned into a steamroller, flattening every team in its path through the College Football Playoff last season, there were legitimate concerns about how its offensive tackles would hold up in pass coverage. Ryan Day and then-offensive coordinator Chip Kelly even had to move Donovan Jackson out to left tackle after injuries to Josh Simmons and Zen Michalski.
Now, a year later, those concerns may still be lingering. Simmons and Jackson both became first-round NFL Draft picks, Michalski transferred away after struggling in his short stint, and right tackle Josh Fryar is out of eligibility. Day has named Austin Siereveld his starting left tackle, but the battle on the right side is too close to call.
So, heading into a Week 1 matchup with No. 1 Texas, the No. 3 Buckeyes will play both Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa, who was expected to win the left tackle job outright, and overlooked portal addition Phillip Daniels from Minnesota. Day has not named a winner in that competition, only stating that “certainly, Phil (Daniels) will play a lot.”
Though he wasn’t the primary starter in Minnesota last year, Daniels did play a lot, amassing 300 snaps across 11 games with four starts. That stretch included a matchup with Penn State and Abdul Carter, and he’ll face a similar test as he attempts to protect first-time starting quarterback Julian Sayin in Week 1 against the Longhorns.
Phillip Daniels set to face daunting task against Texas’s Collin Simmons and Anthony Hill Jr.
Colin Simmons isn’t quite Abdul Carter, and despite his role as an elite pass-rushing linebacker, Hill isn’t either. Carter was one of the best edge rushers in recent college football history. That’s why he became the No. 3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Yet, both have the potential to reach that level of dominance in 2025, and that won’t be an easy matchup for Daniels or Sereveld on Saturday in Columbus.
As a true freshman, Simmons finished second on the loaded Texas defense with 46 quarterback pressures, including three against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl CFP semifinal, and led the unit with nine sacks. Add in his interception and three forced fumbles, and he was one of the most disruptive edge rushers in the country. His 15.6 percent pass-rush win-rate was 16th best in the SEC and second among true freshmen in the conference, only trailing South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart.
To make matters worse for Daniels and Sayin, he primarily rushed off the left side of the defensive line (against the right tackle). When Daniels doesn’t have to deal with Simmons, it’s not like he’ll get a break because that could mean Hill, who is a will linebacker, is taking his turn rushing off the edge, where he was incredibly effective last season.
Pete Kwiatkowski, Texas’s defensive coordinator, was creative in the ways he created pressure last season, maximizing the athletic gifts of his young defensive playmakers, getting Hill involved with unconventional fronts. Saturday, those tricks won’t only be to create matchups one-on-one with Ohio State’s unproven tackles, but to confuse the Buckeyes' unproven quarterback.
Both Ohio State and Texas are breaking in new QBs on Saturday, though Arch Manning does have two collegiate starts under his belt. Manning also has fewer question marks in front of him, despite a season-ending injury to one of his offensive tackles during fall camp, Andre Cojoe. So, unless Daniels is great in his extended work, trench play could tip the scales towards the visitors and provide Sayin with a shaky debut.
On the flip side, Texas lost significant talent from that year’s secondary, including first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron. So, if the Buckeyes can protect their young former five-star QB, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate are likely to win down the field. As long as Sayin stays upright, Ohio State’s offense has enough talent to thrive in Week 1, but that’s far from a guarantee.