The past two seasons, Ohio State has boasted two of the most dominant offenses in program history.

Though much of that offensive credit goes to Dwayne Haskins, J.K. Dobbins, Justin Fields, and the supreme offensive skill the Buckeyes bring in every year, the consistent forces that allow those big names to make big plays are often overlooked.

The offensive line is what gave Haskins time to throw for nearly 5,000 yards. It created the holes for Dobbins to weave through on his way to 2,003 yards last season.

In front of every great offense stands a great offensive line.

Fields put it best earlier this month.

“I think a quarterback is only as good as his O-line, so I’m trying to have the best O-line in the country because I know that’s going to make my job easier,” Fields said.

There are two seniors in this season’s unit: fifth-year graduate Gavin Cupp and extremely experienced starter Thayer Munford.

Both have been at Ohio State through coaching changes and multiple offensive philosophies. Both have stayed and paved the way for Heisman contenders and program greats.

Both deserve all of the senior shine they can receive.

He hasn’t been a starter in his four years on campus and probably won’t be one this season, but Cupp is exactly the kind of teammate and leader Ohio State’s promising group of young lineman need.

He has managed to carve out a decent role for himself after coming out of (OHSAA Division VII) Leipsic High School as a fairly low-level recruit.

Cupp will hold the backup guard slot behind All-American Wyatt Davis and promising sophomore Harry Miller after playing 176 snaps and holding the primary backup role as a junior.

With the number of blowouts Ohio State took part in last season, Cupp saw plenty of action late in games and built up a decent reputation as a physical force in the trenches. Against Maryland, he played a career-high 46 snaps before sustaining a foot injury that ended his 2019 campaign.

Always a leader in the locker room and classroom, Cupp is a steady presence on an Ohio State team filled with five-star recruits and big names. He knows his role is limited yet continues to work and lead by example.

“We’ve got a standard in the offensive line room, you look back there and see pictures of the guys we have to live up to, you have to work hard every day to uphold that standard,” Cupp said last fall.

He has certainly lived up to that standard off of the field- three consecutive Academic All-Big Ten awards speak for themselves.

Cupp has been the ideal teammate for four years while still contributing in whatever time he has on the field.

In his grand finale, Cupp is ready to push the younger Buckeye lineman towards greatness.

Very rarely is a freshman offensive lineman prepared to play high-level college football. The increase in speed and strength from high school to college is intimidating and often requires a redshirt or year of preparation.

Not for Munford.

The current senior played in the final 12 games for a two-loss Ohio State team as a freshman. He hasn’t looked back since.

His consistency is staggering- 38 games over the past three years and 26 starts over his most recent two seasons.

A three-star recruit behind fellow lineman Davis and Josh Myers in the class of 2017, Munford has over a season's worth of experience more than the stellar duo.

Munford is a defining example of experience leading to results on the line. As a sophomore he was an honorable mention All-Big Ten. Last year he bumped that up to Second Team All-Big Ten, and this summer the Cincinnati native was one of three Buckeyes named to the Outland trophy watch list, given to college football’s best interior lineman.

His name has appeared in more than a few 2021 NFL Draft projections, the end result of a steady climb to the top over four seasons in Columbus.

Listed at 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, Munford is a bulldozer in the run block game, helping push Dobbins to the program’s first 2,000-yard rushing season.

Players like Munford do their jobs every game, every drive, and every down to give their team a chance to score. It rarely gets noticed by most who watch, but any great offense is only as good as its offensive line.

With experience like Cupp and Munford guiding this group, the Ohio State O-line could be one of the most dominant in recent memory, paving the way for what many feel will be a historic offense.