The Ohio State football team has a lot of new starters on both sides of the ball. Despite that, they are still expected to be one of the teams competing for a national championship, just as they were last season. In order to do that, they need one unit to be great right away.
That unit is the offensive line. The offensive line lost three starters from last year's unit, but they had a lot of players sub in because of injuries, so the Buckeyes have a lot of depth on the offensive line. Ohio State has several guys who they feel can play well up front.
Carson Hinzman is an undisputed starter to start the year, which he wasn't last season. That decision looks stupid in hindsight after how he was able to play late in the year. Hinzman isn't the only Ohio State offensive lineman who earned some playing time late in the year.
The Ohio State football team is confident in their offensive linemen heading into 2025
Tegra Tshabola, Austin Siereveld, and Luke Montgomery all got significant playing time last year. All of them are slated to be starters this year. The only new guy up front is left tackle Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa, and Ryan Day feels like he can be a really great blocker.
The Ohio State Buckeyes feel like they can still be elite up front, even with a lot of new starters in place. They are going to need to lean on their offensive line early, even against Texas in the season opener. That game could come down to the trenches.
Having a stout offensive line blocking for a new starting quarterback and a new starting running back is what the Buckeyes have to have if they want to have a shot at winning a national championship for the second straight season.
How quickly this unit is able to mesh and do what Tyler Bowen wants them to do will go a long way toward determining if this is going to be a championship-caliber team again. Their skill players are good enough to make that happen, but the trenches are a question.