Ryan Day gives good and bad news about the Ohio State football team's offensive line

After leading his team through their last workout of spring practice, Ryan Day met with the media and gave us both good and bad news about the offensive line for the Ohio State football team.

The Good

Day said he has seen very good improvement in left tackle Josh Simmons, left guard Donovan Jackson, and centers Seth McLaughlin and Carson Hinzman. He pointed out that Jackson has emerged as a leader for the offensive line as a unit. This is not a surprise because Jackson is an outstanding young person. Simmons, Jackson, and Hinzman were starters in 2023. McLaughlin is an Alabama transfer where he started 24 games for the Crimson Tide.

The player Day talked about most was right tackle Josh Fryar. He said the senior from Beech Grove, Indiana has worked hard to transform his body this offseason. He’s noticeably quicker and has much better bend to his knees. This should help him combat some of the issues he had in pass protection last season.

The Bad

Right guard is still an issue and very much up in the air. When Luke Montgomery was moved inside from tackle, it was hoped he would seize the position and continue to build on what was a promising true freshman season. That hasn’t happened. Day said Fryar and fellow tackle Tegra Tshabola both took reps at this position, along with Hinzman and McLaughlin.

Day will tell you spring practice is about player development. Montgomery is still very much learning how to play guard and the former top-100 recruit could still win the job. But right now, Day is not comfortable with the level of progress that has been made and indicated he and the staff must make a decision on how they feel moving forward. Are they comfortable with Montgomery or someone already on the roster eventually developing? Or….

The Portal

I’m going to be very surprised if Day and offensive line coach Justin Frye do not take a serious look at who is available in the transfer portal when it opens on Monday. They’ll certainly target a true right guard, but I also think they’ll be open to a right tackle if they feel comfortable moving Fryar inside. They won’t go looking for just anyone. It will have to be someone who is a good fit for the program and can step in and compete right away.

Keep this in mind: we’re still a long way from the season opener on August 31st. A lot can and will happen, but most certainly the lack of progress at right guard is reason for concern. The Buckeyes are loaded with talent and primed to make a run at a legitimate national title (that means they didn’t cheat over multiple seasons to build their program). A weak spot on the offensive line will be devastating to their chances.