Six days after Ryan Day initially revealed that Austin Siereveld could be Ohio State’s starting left tackle this season, it sounds as though Siereveld is coming close to locking down that job.
Day isn’t ready to say yet what Ohio State’s starting offensive line this season will look like as a whole. But he already said this spring that Siereveld would be a starter for the Buckeyes, and he said Monday that Siereveld is fully focused on playing the blind-side protector position right now.
“We haven't decided any positions. We usually don't set the depth chart, really, until a couple weeks out. So we'll wait until then to actually set the depth chart,” Day said. “But right now, Austin's working exclusively at left tackle.”
Siereveld’s rise from rotational left guard last season to potential starting left tackle this season comes as a result of a standout offseason in which he was named an Iron Buckeye for both winter and summer workouts. It carries a lot of weight when a player earns that honor from director of sports performance Mickey Marotti, Day said, and Siereveld has continued to build on that with a strong preseason camp so far.
“When you watch somebody in the off season go through the weight room with Mick, the guy's seen it all. I mean, you talk about the best in a business, it’s not close; Mick Marotti is the best in the business at building leadership, at building toughness, accountability, all those things. And when he stamps them, when he's an Iron Buckeye, you got a chance,” Day said. “I mean, Jeremiah Smith was the first freshman I think ever to be an Iron Buckeye. What happened, right? Austin Siereveld becomes an Iron Buckeye. Look what's happening. So for us, the backbone of our program is what happens in the offseason in that weight room. That is our chopping wood and carrying water, in the weight room. And so when you start to see that happen, you can almost predict what's going to come next.”
Going into preseason camp, it was widely expected that Rice transfer Ethan Onianwa would be Ohio State’s starting left tackle this season. Now, however, Onianwa is in a battle just to earn a starting job at all.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and running back James Peoples both identified Minnesota transfer Phillip Daniels as a player who’s been making a move during media interviews last week, and Day suggested Monday that Daniels is drawing serious consideration for the starting right tackle job. Onianwa, meanwhile, is taking snaps at both tackle spots while also getting some snaps inside at guard.
“We're seeing Austin take a lot of snaps at left tackle, and we're seeing Phil take a lot of snaps at right tackle. And Ethan is swinging and doing a good job,” Day said. “So we'll see, again, by this week, we'll have more and more snaps, more and more information, and go from there.”
Asked if Daniels had pulled ahead of Onianwa in the right tackle competition, Day said that will depend on what happens in practice for the rest of the week.
“We'll see this week. We'll see,” Day said. “There's enough on film to lead us to believe that we can win with both guys. Who ends up starting, we'll see.”
While Ohio State is still deciding who its five starting offensive linemen will be, Day believes the Buckeyes have more than five viable starters up front. He knows just how important that is after what happened last year, when the Buckeyes lost both Josh Simmons and Seth McLaughlin to season-ending injuries, so building depth and cross-training linemen between positions has been a big point of emphasis this offseason.
That said, he also knows that Ohio State must have a good idea of who its starters will be at all positions by the end of this week so the Buckeyes can turn their focus to game planning for the season opener against Texas.
“Ethan's playing tackle, moving to guard. Tegra (Tshabola)'s playing guard, but he can bump out to tackle as well. Austin, Phil, both playing tackle. Luke (Montgomery) is inside, Carson (Hinzman)'s inside, Josh Padilla's inside, Gabe VanSickle's inside. You're seeing Ian Moore play tackle,” Day said of Ohio State’s top offensive linemen. “And so the idea of a primary and a secondary (position), I think is going to really pay dividends down the road. But it's important as we get closer to this first game for guys to really dig in and get the majority of the snaps at where they're going to play.”
Day said he believes the Buckeyes’ depth across the offensive line is “strong,” but that the starters must assert themselves as players who can lead the team to victory.
“We are deep. The most important thing is that the five starting guys are executing at a high level and doing their job. But I do think the depth is strong, which is great. It's great for competition. But the guys who are the starters have to perform,” Day said. “And I think that's another thing that we've challenged this team with is the starters and the leaders, they have to take on the role of the starters, and they have to perform at a high level. They have to produce.
“So it's good to have depth, which I think we do have. And I think that's a good thing. The question is, like, how well are we going to perform and how much are we going to dominate? And that's to be told. That's not just at that position, that's at every position.”
