Ohio State's Offensive Line Depth Becoming Major Issue

With rumors swirling of another significant injury, the Ohio State Buckeyes are running out of options when reshuffling the offensive line this season.

Ohio State Buckeyes offensive line coach Justin Frye celebrates with offensive linemen Carson Hinzman (75) and Seth McLaughlin (56) following the 20-13 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in NCAA football game at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pa. on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes are currently ranked No. 2 in the country and their only loss was to the No. 1 Oregon Ducks by one point on the road. This alone explains the season for Ohio State to this point.

It is has not been perfect and does have the one blemish on paper. However, in what has been a strong season to this point, the Buckeyes have overcome adversity on the offensive line.

First, Josh Simmons was lost for the year due to an injury against Oregon and senior Zen Michalski stepped in at left tackle. After struggling to emulate the strong play of Simmons, Michalski went down with a season-ending injury as well. Ryan Day and his coaching staff then decided to kick left guard Donovan Jackson out to left tackle and stick Carson Hinzman in at left guard.

The move worked very well and gave the offensive line some new life. Since that decision was made, the Buckeyes have been physical in the trenches. Continuing the same dominance may prove to be an even greater struggle if some circulating rumors end up being true.

The buzz coming out of Columbus on Tuesday is that Seth McLaughlin went down with an apparent Achilles injury during practice. Although nothing has been confirmed to this point, any major injury this late in the season likely ends a player's season. This would be horrible for the Buckeyes because the Alabama transfer has been excellent at center this year.

As the Ohio State fanbase holds their breath awaiting further McLaughlin news from the team, now is a time to take a glance at the remaining pieces that Ryan Day and Justin Frye have at their disposal.

If McLaughlin is out for the remainder of the year, the logical move would likely be to move Hinzman to center considering he started there for the team all of last season. At left guard, Austin Siereveld likely becomes the next man up after starting in that spot the first two weeks of this season due to Donovan Jackson being out.

Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Austin Siereveld (67) lines up during the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 52-6. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

If for some reason the coaching staff looks to go another direction, perhaps Luke Montgomery gets called to action at left guard.

Beyond Siereveld and Montgomery, there is very little playing experience in this offensive line room and even at that, constant reshuffling of the offensive line is difficult. It makes it hard for players to get in sync with each other and find consistency up front.

Not only do the Buckeyes have some big matchups with Indiana and Michigan upcoming, but a potential Big Ten Championship Game versus Oregon and a playoff run are on the line soon. Ohio State has looked the part of a National Championship contender with its immense amount of talent. A depleted offensive line could cause a season to fall apart right at the most inopportune timing.

Hopefully the rumors are false and McLaughlin is okay for his own sake and the sake of the team. If he is out though, this team truthfully can't afford even one more injury on this offensive line. That could be detrimental as a lack of depth at this position group is becoming a major issue.