Way Too Early Look: Offensive Line (updated)

The offensive line is probably the most publicized position at the moment due to missing out on three prospects on signing day. Update: not so much anymore, but LT is still one of the most interesting position battles this spring.

Those signing day disappointments also makes depth along the offensive line an area of concern for many Buckeye fans. Throw in the fact that Ohio State only loses one lineman (Jim Cordle) from 2009 and only gains one (Andrew Norwell) heading into 2010 and I would call the offensive line an ideal place to begin our look at next season.

Oh yeah, and the line is going to be good next season, maybe really good.

Many fans were disappointed to the point of calling  the 2010 recruiting class a bust due to the high profile recruiting misses last week. Well I am here, as always, to inject some optimism into the conversation for this season specifically, and for the future of the offensive line in general.

First let’s talk about the 2010 season. Ohio State has four returning starters along the offensive line, which is nice by itself. These four helped pave the way for well over 200 yards rushing per game over the last five contests of the 2009 regular season, which is even nicer.

Throw in the fact that the Buckeyes have quality young depth from the 2009 recruiting class and things look pretty good… at least to me… at least for the 2010 season.

In fact, I would even say that the 2010 offensive line could be the best of the Tressel era. The best in the Big Ten? Possibly. The best in the country? We can only hope.

The key to the offensive line achieving greatness? Two questions need to be answered. Who will play at left tackle? and can the line stay healthy?

Left tackle has been a question mark since the beginning of last season. With an extra year of experience under their belts, hopefully the two main contenders to fill the position can solidify their spot in the starting lineup, extra bonus points if they solidify it early in the spring. Update: Mike Adams appears to be relatively solidified as the starter, but Miller is still getting reps with the ones.

Health is the other major concern for the line. Last year injuries ravished the line early in the season, and the resurgence of the run game at the end of the year may have been simply due to the starting line returning to full strength.

Can the line stay healthy in 2010 and continue the momentum they established at the end of last season?

If they can… happy times.

Join me after the jump for a closer look at the each position as well as a look at the depth situation and possible future recruiting targets. Update: I took out the recruiting update, there will be lots of posts focusing on the recruiting after the spring game, also, Ohio State signed four offensive lineman between the time I posted this and now.

It all starts up front, and as cliche as it is, I will continue to say it because it is so true. Question number one for Ohio State in 2010 is who will start at left tackle? So let’s start there.

Left Tackle

Going back to last season, left tackle was a two man battle between redshirt junior Andrew Miller and sophomore Mike Adams. Both ended up starting a few games, but by the end of the year journeyman Jim Cordle had settled in as the starter for the last half of the season.

With the graduation of Cordle and the lack of a certain all-everything high school talent in the mix, we are back to a two man battle between Miller and Adams heading into 2010.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

While the inability of either player to emerge as the clear cut starter over the course of last season is a cause for concern, it might not be as bad as it appears.

For instance, a major factor that kept Miller on the sidelines for the last half of the season was a serious illness midway through the year that caused him to drop a significant amount of weight.

Adams’ inability to crack the starting line up is a bit more difficult to understand. By most accounts, his physical gifts are unmatched, but there is something else that is going on that is keeping him from reaching his potential. Whatever it is, the two game suspension at the beginning of last season was probably a result of his off the field issues.

Additionally, Adams suffered a knee injury in the middle of the year that kept him out for three games, cutting any chance of him returning to the starting line up short. By the time he recovered, Ohio State had a pretty good thing going with Cordle, keeping Adams on the sidelines.

Will Adams finally be able to get over the injuries that have limited his game time two years in a row? and if he can stay healthy will he be able to overcome his apparent off the field issues?

According to this article from the Dispatch (which is a really good read on the left tackle situation) he has been “doing a lot of extra work” so that is a good sign. Being the optimist that I am, I will go ahead and predict that Adams will be able to finally break through and earn the starting spot early on and keep it.

Update: There has been lots of additional indications that Adams is in the best shape of his life and is ready to go at LT. Happy times if true.

Backing up Adams will be Andrew Miller. While Miller lacks the athleticism of his counterpart, he performed well at the beginning of last season before illness sidelined him. At the very least Miller provides solid depth at the position, and if Adams falters for whatever reason, I am confident that Miller will be able to step in without too much drop off.

Also in the mix at left tackle is sophomore Marcus Hall (more on him later) and incoming freshman Andrew Norwell. Ultimately I think that Hall will stay on the right side and Norwell will probably redshirt. Based on that, I am going to throw redshirt senior Josh Kerr in as the third string LT right now due to his experience.

We will find out a lot during spring practice, and like I said, hopefully someone locks down the position early and keeps it. With the returning talent along the line, establishing continuity and familiarity among all five offensive linemen could lead to great things.

Fingers crossed on that one. Here’s a nifty table with my guess at what the depth chart will be at left tackle for next season.

Disclaimer: I am allowed to change these depth chart tables at any time for any reason and you aren’t allowed to remind me if I was wrong… deal? Okay good.

Update: The spring chart has Sam Longo listed as the #3 LT with Kerr as the #3 RT.

Right Tackle

Right tackle was a question mark heading into last season… not so much anymore.

J.B. Shugarts emerged as the starter over the course of the season in 2009 and never looked back. He is a punishing run blocker but could use some more work in pass protection. If he is able to continue to improve Shugarts is going to be very good.

Pushing for the starting spot will be  Marcus Hall. Hall logged significant playing minutes last year as a true freshman and even started against Iowa due to an injury to Shugarts.

The amount of playing time Hall received as a true freshman is a testament to his talent and he is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Ultimately I think Hall will slide down and play guard once Bryant Browning graduates. I think this because when you have two guys as talented as Hall and Shugarts, it doesn’t make sense to keep them both at the same position with one not being on the field. It will be interesting to see if Hall gets any playing time at guard this year because of this.

Between Shugarts and Hall, it is pretty safe to say the right tackle is in good hands for the 2010 season.

Also in the mix is incoming freshman Andrew Norwell. I think that Norwell will probably redshirt, but I am going to throw him onto the depth chart because I am not sure who else to put there (possibly Jack Mewhort).

Update: As mentioned, Josh Kerr is listed as the #3 RT, but Norwell isn’t on campus yet.

Left Guard

Left guard is in solid hands this year with returning starter Justin Boren. Boren was the best lineman on the team last year, and he has a chance to be one of the best in the conference and possibly the entire country in 2010. He is a tenacious run blocker with a mean streak, and honestly he scares me a little bit (look at his picture)… but that is a good thing for an offensive lineman.

While Boren is the unquestioned starter here, who is behind him on the depth chart gets a little hazy.

Corey Linsley received a lot of good reviews during practice last year but did not see any game time due to being redshirted. He will probably get some time at guard this year.

Also in the mix is Andrew Miller. Miller has played guard in several games throughout his career, and if he is not starting at tackle, he will provide depth for both positions. I am not going to put Miller on the depth chart here since he already is on one, but he is definitely in the mix, particularly if there is an injury (knock on wood).

Guys like Scott Sika (RS Senior) and Even Blankenship (RS Junior)  will also get a shot at both guard positions, and I will put Sika on the depth chart here because of seniority and the fact that he played in five games last year to Blankenship’s one.

Update: I mixed up the sides on this one. Connor Smith is listed at #2 here while Linsley is listed at #2 on the right side. Also, Chris Malone is listed as the #3 LG.

Right Guard

Right guard is also in good hands this year with returning starter Bryant Browning. In 2008 Browning struggled mightily on the edge at tackle. Fortunately, his transition to guard last year was a resounding success. His weaknesses in pass protection are diminished on the inside, and his strength as a run blocker is easier to appreciate when he is not a turnstile for pass rushers.

If Browning builds off of his performance last season, an All-Big Ten type of year is not out of the question.

Backing up Browning will be Connor Smith. Smith came to Ohio State as one of the best offensive linemen in the Midwest, but he has failed to live up to expectations, possibly due to injuries. Smith played in eight straight games at the end of last season, including the Rose Bowl.

Will Smith challenge for the starting position? probably not, but if he can stay healthy he provides quality depth.

Finding a third guard is pretty tough. Once again there is Evan Blankenship available, but the fact that he only logged minutes in one game last season doesn’t give me much confidence in his ability to contribute. So instead I will go with Sam Longo.

Longo, like all of the other lineman from the ’09 recruiting class, performed well in practice last year while being redshirted, so I am going to give him the nod for the third spot, due to his size, Longo could also be a candidate to get time at one of the tackle positions as well.

Update: I was right about Longo at tackle, and mixed up the sides with Linsley and Smith for the #2 spots at guard. Listed at #3 behind Browning and Linsley is Jack Mewhort and Evan Blankenship (who has also been getting time at DT).

Center

Returning at center is Mike Brewster. Brewster started every game at center for the Buckeyes in 2009, and started a significant number of games during the 2008 season as well, making him one of the most experienced Buckeyes along the line.

That is important for several reason, mostly because the center is the leader of the offensive line and the player responsible for making adjustments to the  blocking schemes. With so much experience at the position, hopefully Brewster has mastered this art, and situations like the Purdue game can be avoided.

Brewster played most of the 2009 season with a bum ankle, and trouble with signals aside, he performed admirably well all things considered. A healthy Brewster in 2010 is yet another reason to be optimistic about the potential of this offensive line and yet another lineman that has the potential to earn All-Big Ten honors.

Backing up Brewster will be Jack Mewhort. Mewhort has the versatility to play almost any position along the line, so you could pencil him in on most of these depth charts. I put him here because he has experience at center, but he might log minutes at a number of positions.

The third spot is once again tough to come up with. Long time backup Andrew Moses has finally graduated, meaning that beyond Brewster and Mewhort, there aren’t many lineman with experience at center. For the purposes of the three person depth chart, I am going to throw in Chris Malone mostly because of seniority.

Update: I was right about Brewster and Mewhort at #1 and #2, Corey Linsley is listed at #3, and Scott Sika is listed at #4 (mixed him and Malone up on positions, but I was still pretty close).

Conclusion

Like I said, this has the potential to be the best offensive line in the Tressel era as well as in the Big Ten and possibly the country for next season. With four returning starters on the line and a backfield that is absolutely loaded, you can’t help but get excited.

Once again, the difference between a good line and a great line will be left tackle (and staying healthy). If Mike Adams (or Andrew Miller for that matter)  comes into spring practice and kicks some ass, things will be looking great.

With the versatility of some of the younger players, it should be interesting to see where everyone ends up on the depth chart once spring practice gets underway, but as long as the five starters are locked in place by the spring game (locking at you left tackle), I will be happy.