INDIANAPOLIS –– Three, going on four years of starting experience at left tackle has earned Thayer Munford some directing influence on the Ohio State offensive line.
The super senior will likely be a captain for the first time in 2021 after surprising many with his decision to return to the program for a fifth season, and that uptick in authority has also given him a bit of say-so when it comes to certain position battles on Greg Studrawa’s unit.
The two spots that remain undetermined at this juncture are left guard and center, where Josh Myers’ departure to the NFL has opened things up for the likes of junior Harry Miller, redshirt junior Matt Jones and redshirt freshmen Josh Fryar and Luke Wypler to slot into one spot or the other.
“I got a little input, but also at the same time, it’s always up to them. Always up to that person, because we’ve become grown men,” Munford said at Big Ten Media Days at Lucas Oil Stadium last Friday. “We make our own decisions, you know? And I always tell the guys like, ‘You're the one who makes the decision. Not me. Not coach Stud, not coach (Ryan) Day. You do.’”
Myers is not the starting offensive lineman to leave the Buckeye program for the NFL this offseason. Wyatt Davis, who held the starting right guard spot for multiple seasons to much acclaim, is now gone as well.
However, Davis’ vacant spot seems to have been filled long ago, with the decision that five-star 2020 OL Paris Johnson Jr. would slide over to guard, despite his natural talent being more suited for the tackle position.
With Munford and redshirt junior Nicholas Petit-Frere, another five-star recruit, returning at either side of the front five, that just leaves the man in the middle, and the player who will line up to the immediate right of Munford himself.
“The interior part is wide open of course, but also at the same time, like coach Day said, ‘Who wants it more?’” Munford said. “If you want to go get it, go get it. It's not just like we’re gonna pick the best that we think. Whoever wants it, go get it. Then we decide at the end of camp who's actually earned that spot.”
Miller started most of the season at left guard in 2020, but slid over to start at center when Myers missed a game with COVID-19. Snap issues in that game raised some eyebrows, and when Miller missed most of the spring with injury, Jones and Wypler split reps at the center spot.
Jones, however, did his best work at left guard last season, making a few starts of his own while Miller was either at center or unavailable for the Buckeyes late in the season. In fact, even when Miller was not on the unavailable list in the national championship game, Jones still got the nod from Studrawa and company.
The rise of another young talent this offseason has not made the decision as simple as putting Miller in one spot and Jones in the other though. Fryar, who logged just four snaps last season, has been turning heads in the lead-up to the 2021 campaign.
“I’d seen it when he first came in in the summer, when COVID was at its highest peak. He was doing some stuff that was tremendous,” Munford said. “So I was like, ‘Wow, you actually have a chance to play here.’ But also at the same time, what are you gonna do with it now? I’m not about to say, ‘You’re doing good, stay right there.’ Nah, keep going. Push more. Push yourself a lot more.”
With his aforementioned increased leadership role this year, Munford is embracing the job of motivator for his younger teammates.
“[Fryar] should push more to actually be the starting guard or even better than me or Wyatt or Josh or anybody that’s came through the program,” Munford said.
It will likely take a ways into preseason camp, which begins Tuesday, for final decisions to be made on the couple remaining spots in the interior. They will all have their shot though, and Day said the team may even rotate a couple players once the season starts.
“Good news is we have a few guys in there and if they all deserve to play, we will roll those guys,” Day said.
