Ian Moore got some extra time with Justin Frye Wednesday morning.
The Ohio State offensive line coach was close by when the 2024 three-star offensive tackle from New Palestine, Ind. camped, and encouraged him, along with four-star Ben Roebuck and four-star Derek Jensen to stick around for some reps after the camp was complete.
That kind of one-on-one attention was why Moore was on campus at Ohio State, already holding offers from programs like Florida State, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He wanted to see what life would be like between him and Frye.
“Your skill position coach means a lot to you,” Moore said. “Like you are with that dude almost 24/7. I kind of see if I can fit with his play style and his coaching. Obviously, you have to see if you like the coach first and how he coaches you.”
Frye liked what he saw from Moore, making the No. 16 offensive tackle in the country Ohio State’s fifth tackle offered in the 2024 class, along with Guerby Lambert, four-star Liam Andrews, four-star Kam Pringle and five-star Daniel Calhoun: the No. 1 tackle in the class.
But Moore seemed to like what he saw from Frye as well.
“I think he’s taken in the culture really well,” the 2024 offensive tackle said of Frye. “I came here, he was chatting up all the players. He was really into it.”
Frye and Ohio State’s coaching style is something Moore is not quite used to. He said the Buckeyes' staff preached much more of a pro-style offense, forcing the players to take a step up as they learned from them.
“We’re playing for high school and he’s teaching us to play for the pros and in college,” Moore said.
A naturally built tackle at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds heading into his junior season at New Palestine High School in Indiana, Moore’s been penciled in at right tackle, but has the size to play any position he wanted to, Frye told him.
And while his high school coach preaches footwork just like Frye does, Moore said the Ohio State offensive line coach enforces it more.
It was something Moore was able to adapt to enough to earn an offer from Ohio State, saying before he received one how much it would mean for him, his family and just his recruitment in general.
“I mean, it’s Ohio State,” Moore said. “You just say Ohio State and everyone’s impressed. Just the culture, the level of talent that’s here, it would mean a ton.”
The spotlight is something Moore got a glimpse of with his teammate Luke Burgess: a 2023 four-star tackle, who holds offers from Florida State, Louisville and North Carolina, among others. Moore said he felt his recruitment would follow a similar path to Burgess’, but instead exploded much more quickly, something the 2024 tackle said he’s gotten used to.
But even before Moore camped at Ohio State, his high school head coach was preparing him for what life would be like once he received that Buckeye offer.
“He said a lot of people would have to jump in,” Moore said.
The 2024 offensive tackle said his preference would be to stay in the Midwest, liking their play style and the way schools in the area train.
It’s potential he saw from Ohio State right when he stepped on campus Friday before his camp Wednesday.
“It’s a beautiful place,” Moore said. “Columbus is amazing, the facilities are obviously top-tier, the coaches are nice. When I came through, I got to see a couple players and they were really cool. It was just a really nice experience.”