Spring football is here.

After a roller coaster of a 2021 season, from the highest of highs at the Rose Bowl to the lowest of lows at home against Oregon and in Ann Arbor against Michigan, Ohio State is back on the practice field with high expectations once again.

In the weeks leading up to the spring game, we'll break down the roster, going position-by-position to see who's back for another season, who the Buckeyes lost and what the expectations will be heading into the Buckeyes' season opener Sept. 3 against Notre Dame.

Today, we take a look at the Ohio State offensive line.

Leading one of the best offenses in the country up front, Ohio State's offensive line left a bit to be desired last season.

Ohio State was top five in the Big Ten in rushing offense, averaging 180.3 yards per game while being one of two teams, along with conference-leading Michigan, to average more than five yards per carry.

Ohio State also finished third in the Big Ten in sacks against, allowing an average of 1.3 sacks per game in 2021.

But that's not what the Buckeyes remember about last season up front.

It was the struggles at Minnesota, at Nebraska and against Penn State before the catastrophe that was the Michigan game, allowing players like defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and outside linebacker David Ojabo to go through Ohio State's tackles like they were swinging doors.

Of Ohio State's 95 pressures allowed this season, 21 — more than 22 percent — came in that game against the Wolverines, while the Michigan front also produced 18 of the Buckeyes' 77 overall hurries: more than 23 percent.

This is what led to a change, letting offensive line coach Greg Studrawa go and hiring former UCLA offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Justin Frye to lead the unit in 2022.

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Ohio State is losing the entire left side of its offensive line heading into 2022.

After starting the previous three seasons at left tackle, Thayer Munford moved inside, starting at left guard beside tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, who moved from the right side to the left after the departure of Wyatt Davis on the inside, prompting Munford's move.

Petit-Frere and Munford's departure from the line heading into 2022 forces Ohio State to replace 37.8 percent of the total snaps of its starting offensive line from 2021.

The good news for Ohio State is that it will have three starting offensive linemen returning in 2022.

The Buckeyes will have Luke Wypler back as its starting center, leading the team with 860 snaps in 13 games in his first season as a starter, and Dawand Jones back at right tackle, who led all offensive line starters with an 86.5 offensive rating per Pro Football Focus, recording the highest run block and pass block rating of any of the Buckeyes' five starters in 2021.

Ohio State will also bring back Paris Johnson Jr. at left tackle, returning to his natural position after spending last season on the inside.

The Buckeyes' depth from 2021 — sixth-man Matthew Jones and highly-rated guard prospect Donovan Jackson — will likely take take a step up in 2021 with the opportunity for players like Zen Michalski, Josh Fryar and Jakob James to get some experience as depth pieces.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day confirmed after the first day of spring practice that guard Harry Miller would miss the entirety of spring practice along with Fryar, opening up the competition for depth in the middle of the Buckeyes' offensive line.

Ohio State's depth only grows with its 2022 recruiting class.

The Buckeyes brought in two development tackles in George Fitzpatrick and Avery Henry, two players who may take some time to see the field, while four-star guard Tegra Tshabola has the body type to fit in near the top of Ohio State's depth chart in the interior from the moment he joins the Buckeyes over the summer.

Ohio State's starting offensive line seems to be pretty much set heading into spring.

Wypler and Dawand Jones will return to their spots at center and right tackle, respectively, while Johnson moves to the outside at left tackle after playing right guard in 2021.

As for the the two inside spots, Matthew Jones, who was Ohio State's versatile option on the inside, playing both guard spots and serving as Wypler's backup at center — something Day confirmed during the first day of practice he would continue to do — would fill in at left guard, while Jackson, Ohio State's highest-rated offensive lineman in the 2021 class, would cover the right guard position.

Frye's initiation into the Ohio State offensive line room is probably the most important thing for the Buckeyes moving forward, but the new offensive line coach's first job this spring will set the tone for his path moving forward.

After coming out of high school as a tackle, Johnson has only played seven snaps at right tackle through two seasons at the college level. Other than that, the incoming junior found his home inside at guard last season.

With Petit-Frere and Munford off to the next level, Johnson is going back to the position Day said the junior was recruited to play.

"We always felt that he was a tackle, but to his credit, he wanted to get on the field last year and really learned a lot last year playing guard, just pad level, understanding calls," Day said. "I mean, it's really going to pay dividends for him down the road.

"But now making the transition to tackle, he's played it his whole life other than last year, so it's not like it's new to him, but this is his first time starting out there. He's going to grab onto it, own it. His approach every day, his work ethic, all those things are off the charts. I know he's already started a great relationship with Justin. This is just the start of it, and we'll kind of get an idea about it about midway through, but he has high aspirations, he's a high achiever, so when he sets his mind to something, it usually happens."

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