As Fall camp continues, Ryan Day is trying to figure out the starters at each position. The offensive line might be where the most important battles are taking place. Last season, the offensive line fell apart late in the year. Ohio State lost the final two games of the year because of that.
Day wants to make sure that doesn't happen this year, and he is evaluating different guys up front to get the best combination of five out there. Austin Siereveld will likely either be at left tackle or right guard, but he has now suffered an injury that has made things more complicated.
Ryan Day confirms Ohio State OL Austin Siereveld suffered an injury
While speaking after the first scrimmage of the Fall, Day confirmed that Austin Siereveld missed some practices due to an injury.
"I think maybe some of you guys may have heard that Austin was out for a couple of days, so it didn't make it as streamlined in terms of the evaluation. But those guys are battling right now, and we'll get Austin back this week and continue to work through it."
While Day did not disclose what kind of injury Siereveld suffered, he did make it seem that it was just a minor injury. That is good news, because Siereveld has turned into one of the most versatile players Ohio State has. He started at left tackle last year and has also started at right guard.
Day acknowledged that the team has depth up front, but the Buckeyes can't afford to have Siereveld out for an extended period of time. He is going to be one of the key players for the team this season. He is a senior leader, and his ability to play multiple positions on the offensive line will be key, too.
Ohio State will need all of the offensive linemen to be strong this season
Last year, the right side of the line was clearly a liability. That's one of the big reasons why they told Tegra Tshabola to leave the program. His play at the right guard spot was not good enough. Philip Daniels struggled late last season at right tackle, as well.
This year, Day understands that the entire unit needs to be stronger. Julian Sayin has been working on using his legs to avoid pressure better, but he still needs to be protected, Those guys up front have to give him enough time to survey the field, and he wasn't afforded that opportunity in the postseason.
Sayin was sacked 10 times in the final two games of last season. That is something that Day has put a big emphasis on fixing this problem, especially early in the year. The Texas game in Week 2 doesn't afford Ohio State any chance to ease into the schedule.
If the Ohio State football program wants to bring home another national championship, they have to be bullies on the offensive line. In order to do that, they have to have everyone healthy. Keep Siereveld healthy for the next few weeks!
Add us as a preferred source on Google