COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Thayer Munford wasn’t quite himself last season.
Sure, the Cincinnati, Ohio, native now entering his third year as a starter at left tackle earned second team All-Big Ten honors for his performance in 2019, but he was far from 100 percent.
“Last year everybody knew I couldn’t actually full-out sustain a drive without something hurting,” Munford said Wednesday.
Munford was still dealing with the impact of a back injury that began plaguing him as a sophomore in 2018, before it eventually caused him to miss the Rose Bowl, have surgery and sit out for much of the subsequent spring, summer and fall leading into last season.
He might’ve played through the pain, but Munford said he was closer to 70-80 percent of his true form as a junior.
Now a senior, and the most experienced starter on the offensive line, Munford is eager to remind people what he’s capable of when fully healthy.
“It’s not gonna be perfect all the time, but you’re gonna be a different Thayer,” Munford said.
Offensive line coach Greg Studrawa has noticed the difference in Munford ahead of 2020 as well. The fifth-year Buckeye assistant coach said Munford missed nine months of strength and conditioning last year, and it showed on the field.
This year though, Studrawa said Munford is in the best shape of his life.
“He’s got some more drive, leg power coming off the football. I noticed the other day in the scrimmage he was driving guys down the field and I didn’t see that a lot from him last season,” Studrawa said. “It was spotty, wasn’t consistent.”
Munford is the first one to admit that his 2019 tape wasn’t up to par, but he said he wanted to tough out the pain in order to set an example for the younger players on the team.
“Last year I wasn’t sustaining my blocks because I was too cautious about my injuries,” Munford said. “I was very –– too cautious. But this year, I’m gonna be sustaining my blocks.”
Of Ohio State’s three returning offensive linemen, Munford is the only one that was not named a team captain for 2020. However, Munford believes he emerged as a leader last season because of the adversity he had to fight through all year long dealing with what he called a major injury.
But now healthy, Studrawa said Munford has also improved in-between the ears.
“He’s not worried about what’s gonna happen with that back or anything like that. He’s passed those tests, and so he’s ready to let it loose, and it’s really exciting because he really feels good mentally,” Studrawa said. “He’s really in a good place.”
Munford said seeing his lack of power on film has motivated him to “dominate whoever’s in front of me right now,” and his growing confidence does not just pertain to his own ability.
The Ohio State offensive line as a whole is “a force to be reckoned with,” Munford said, and added that he thinks the unit will be the nation’s best once all is said and done.
He might be the most seasoned vet of the bunch, but with what seems like a chip on his shoulder to show off an improved skillset in 2020, Munford is keen to get back on the field.
“I just can’t wait to play,” Munford said. “I’m just so anxious to actually play.”
He won’t have to wait much longer, as Ohio State’s season opener against Nebraska is now just three days away.
