Ohio State will be without both of its returning starters at offensive tackles for the rest of the spring due to injury.
Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels will both miss the rest of the spring after undergoing “minor procedures” for injuries, Ryan Day confirmed Monday. Day said Siereveld and Daniels are both expected to be back in time for summer workouts.
“Those guys had a small procedure, but they'll be out for the rest of spring and will be back for a full summer,” Day said.
With Siereveld and Daniels out for Saturday’s Student Appreciation Day, Ian Moore practiced as Ohio State’s first-team left tackle while Carter Lowe was the Buckeyes’ first-team right tackle. Day indicated that Moore and Lowe will continue to rep with the starters for the rest of spring.
“It was good to see those guys get some reps and kind of get forced into it. They'll be like that for the rest of spring,” Day said of Moore and Lowe. “It's great to see both Ian and Carter have to step up in a big way.”
The absence of Daniels and Siereveld for the final two weeks of spring opens the door for both of them, particularly Moore, to make their case that they belong on the starting offensive line this season. Moore was already viewed as a candidate to be one of Ohio State’s top five offensive linemen this season. If he finishes the spring strong, he could potentially supplant Daniels as Ohio State’s starting right tackle, or the Buckeyes could move Siereveld back to guard – the position he started his Ohio State career playing – to fill their vacancy at right guard, where Gabe VanSickle is currently running with the starters alongside Luke Montgomery and Carson Hinzman.
Siereveld started all 14 of Ohio State’s games last season at left tackle while Daniels started 13 of 14 games at right tackle, with Moore starting in his place for one game when Daniels missed the Purdue game due to injury.
The Buckeyes are exploring changes along the offensive line this spring after the line struggled in Ohio State’s final two games of last season, giving up five sacks in each of the Buckeyes’ losses to Indiana and Miami. That said, Siereveld, Montgomery and Hinzman are all viewed as locks to start somewhere along the line. Daniels’ starting job may be less secure after he struggled in pass protection down the stretch of last season, though he’ll have the chance to continue competing to keep his job in preseason camp.
Day said Monday that there is “absolutely” a possibility that Siereveld, Daniels and Moore could all be starters on Ohio State’s offensive line, noting that Siereveld has the flexibility to play both tackle and guard. He also identified Joshua Padilla, who is also out this spring due to injury, as another player with “flexibility” who’s a potential candidate to start at guard.
