Succession: Ohio State's future plan for offensive guard and center

It doesn't matter who the player is or where he's at in Ohio State's offensive line room. Justin Frye has the same approach.

“If you play good football, then you are going to be a good football player,” the Ohio State offensive line coach and associate head coach for the offense said. “So we’ve just got to get them to play their best. All these guys have aspirations, as they should, to do that. So that’s our job, just to work and work and work and maximize your skill sets.”

While Frye knows he has three players in the middle of his offensive line that know what to expect, he's tasked with building up that depth with the younger and more inexperienced players on the roster.

So who could take that step up in the next four years?

Let's take a look at what Ohio State could look like at guard and center until 2025.

Previous Positions

Quarterback

Running back

Wide receiver

Tight end

Offensive tackle

Left guard

1. Donovan Jackson

2. Ben Christman

3. Tegra Tshabola

Center

1. Luke Wypler

2. Jakob James

3. Toby Wilson

Right guard

1. Matthew Jones

2. Enokk Vimahi

3. Trey Leroux

Like both tackle positions, Ohio State's three interior spots on the offensive line seems to be set.

Luke Wypler is set to return for his second season as the Buckeyes' starter at center, flanked to the right side by Matthew Jones, who enters into the starting lineup after working as the versatile sixth-man off the bench in 2021, and to the left by former five-star guard Donovan Jackson.

The center position behind Wypler is seemingly set for a few years too, with Jakob James taking the majority of backup snaps in the middle during the spring along with former walk-on Toby Wilson, who got experience at center last season.

The depth at the other two guard spots remains to be seen.

Coming into his fourth year with the program, Enokk Vimahi looks like he could be a versatile option in either guard spot off the bench for the Buckeyes, along with redshirt freshman Ben Christman and redshirt sophomore Trey Leroux, who could also move to the outside if necessary.

Tegra Tshabola, Ohio State's four-star guard out of Lakota West in West Chester, could also prove to be an option in the rotation, coming in as the No. 7 guard in the 2022 class with the size to switch outside if need be.