Offensive Line Meets with the Media
4/3/2025 2:55:00 PM | Football
On cross training:
“Always a philosophy of cross training. The goal is for me as an offensive line coach and for our offense and for our team is to give ourselves a chance to put the best five guys on the field. That's what you're trying to find through spring through summer through fall camp before we hit the season. There's a time and place to cross train. Now there has to be a comfort level and a knowledge level. When we take a freshman and I like to get those guys… kind of marinate in a spot, learn the offense, understand what to do, how to do it, and then from there you can start seeing how they can cross-train. For your older guys, tackles need to be in a position to play both tackle, guards need to be in a position to bump around. We have guards that take snaps at center. That just builds depth throughout your room. If you're in a position where you get down to a third center, you've got guys that have worked in and snapped it, so you're always trying to create that in the room.”
On coaching staff being on the same page:
“That's been very important to us to make sure that we have one voice. I think with what Coach Day has structured here we have a chance to have the best offensive line resources in the country for those guys... So we meet and install from under direction of Coach Hartline, get on the same page this is exactly how we teach a down block. This is exactly how we teach a gap drive. This is exactly how we're teaching a combo on the backside and inside zone whatever the case may be... Our goal is to serve the players and to make sure that they're the best versions of themselves and I think you've got that group in that room that has that mentality so it's been awesome. I think the guys would say that it's been a huge resource for them the amount of reps we're able to get it in a practice setting... I think it's been better than we expected.”
On his excitement to be back with a group who has experience playing together:
“I’m extremely excited. I’m trying to build that culture back up again, like what we had last year. We’re trying to do little stuff here and there…We are trying to get that brotherhood back, get that O Block spirit back, I’m sure it’s coming soon. We just want to get those same mindsets back. Our group is important right now. It’s been fun to meet new guys from different backgrounds and stuff like that. We’re trying to figure out how to build that and mend that together. It’s been pretty cool.”
On how much he feels he has to be a leader:
“I don’t feel like it’s natural to anyone to immediately step up. It’s something I’ve been working on every day and talking to God about. I understand that and that’s something I want to continue to work on. I want to be able to be a guy that people can fall back on and like Coach was saying before, ‘we are going to have highs and lows, but the great players are the ones we can set our clocks to.’ That’s my goal, to be one of those people who can do that. I think especially for a very new set of eyes in the Woody, not only coaches but players. I think it is very important to keep that steady mindset. Learning how to be a leader it’s been important to not be too hard on myself, but also not let myself slack off in some departments and try to keep steady.”
On the Offensive Line this spring:
“There are ups and downs for sure, but it's been great so far and that's the beauty of it here you're going against guys that are as good as you and you gotta use that technique against them to be able to beat them and you just continue to learn every day. You continue to enhance what you're doing and get better and then if you're struggling in some areas you have to figure out why.”
On the transfers:
“Oh man they're awesome… Ethan's amazing he's done such a good job being able to just learn the playbook because it's obviously hard here. It's an NFL style offense and there's a lot to learn and goes into playing the positions we play. Phillip's similar as well he's doing an amazing job. So it's been awesome and the young guys are coming along as well. Jake Cook has truly surprised me I'm not gonna lie. He's balling right now and he's doing really well. Carter's getting there he's doing great... They're all just good people that need to be in our little offensive meeting room. It's a good crew that we have going along right now and obviously last year is last year and it's a new year and you know none of us have earned anything, so we got to go and get it again.”
On his transition to Ohio State:
“It's been amazing. Everyday getting better and better and going against the best every day so you have to be on your A game… Just getting better and better in the transition I'm an hour half away from home so it's just been pretty good.”
On any transformations of his body since getting to Ohio State:
“I was 320 coming in and I played at 320. I felt great. They told me they wanted me to go down to 315 and I didn't want to do that. I got to 315, started running and they started putting me on the meal plan. I said oh hold on I see the vision now. My body and my arms are steadily getting bigger it's been amazing. I'm growing every day. It's hard every day, but I love it. I'm getting to work after practice, the weight room I can see the results and see the gains.”
On being versatile:
“I need to be versatile because last year people went down. You have to be ready when your numbers called. We had Seth go down, we had Jimmy go down and you always you have to be ready 100% of the time.”
On his goals by the time the season starts:
“My goal is to get better every day and just be what I need to be for this team to go win games.”
On his biggest growth during spring practice:
“I'd say my biggest growth has definitely been probably strength factor I'd say and then working in through spring ball more. Just being more focused, being more calm, not freaking out before the play like what am I doing, just playing football. I'd say that's probably my biggest growth has been so far.”
On patience in regards to playing time:
“I take it as you just have to keep stacking days you can't get down on yourself if you're not playing you just have to keep developing and the guys we have in our room are awesome… So it's really awesome being able to learn from them, watch them, get mental reps every day, see what they're doing and then just take that back and use what they use. It's definitely just stacking days. Just keep working don't really pay attention about that just work.”
On what his transition has been like:
“The transition has been great actually. I think playing tackle in high school helped me a lot going into this interior because I have much quicker feet then the guys on the inside, so I use that to my advantage and I use my arm length to my advantage as well playing on the inside because the guys are closer in the little box.”
On what the biggest adjustment has been:
“The biggest adjustment I’d have to say is really buying into the culture because we are a big culture program. We keep the culture, it doesn’t matter what is going on, we are going to be the same way. So, just buying in to stuff like that.”
On Coach Bowen:
“I absolutely love Coach Bowen not just his personality, but the way he teaches the game of football. I think it really translates and the information he's saying in these meetings really sticks in our players' minds especially me just the way he teaches ball.”
On working without leaders like Josh Fryer:
“Yeah those older guys kind of laid down the foundation for us. They taught us the ins and outs and they left us with a lot of knowledge for when after they left and they taught us a lot of good lessons. I still talk to Josh who pops up in here every now and then and he was a good guy to have my freshman year.”
On what the benefits are of having Brian Hartline as their Offensive Coordinator:
“He’s just a genius in our eyes. The amount of thinking and how next level he is in the way he teaches his offense, it really gets us going and allows us to understand what our assignment is and what our job is to do.”
On Austin Siereveld winning Iron Buckeye and what it means to the program:
“It means that he is not only a leader on and off the field, but he’s the guy who gets the group together when maybe there is a hard practice or hard lift. That’s definitely not something small here at Ohio State, winning the Iron Buckeye. All of us in the room and on the team would definitely agree that he is worthy of that Iron Buckeye status and deserved that.”
On how he has changed physically from last year:
“In terms of numbers I've gotten a lot faster and a lot twitchier. My strength has always been above average that's always been great. Then improvement out here I think I've done pretty good in improving in my sets with zone footwork, gap footwork that type of stuff.”
On approaching the competition for offensive tackle:
“I'm just trying to get better every single day. I think that in terms of roster depth I'll save that for later. Right now spring is a time of development and I'm just trying to develop."
On his expectations for this year:
“I’m going to try my hardest this spring and moving into fall camp just do my job. You’re going to put the best five on the field at the end of the day, so whatever Coach Bowen thinks will be the best decision.”
On being around the team during their playoff run:
“Coach Day asked all the seniors if they were ok with us coming to the playoffs with them and they all gave it the green light. They wanted us to experience that for the next time we’re in the playoffs, so I think that has helped tremendously. I think it made us mature, being around those guys and knowing what to do when we do get to that place.”
On what he gained the most from Seth McLaughlin last year:
“I feel like Seth has definitely made a big impact on how I play the game now. I look at first and second down different because I feel like he has given me a lot of information on how he sees the defenses, like how they move and stuff like that. Seth has become a really good factor in my game.”
On how he has seen the chemistry grow between the returners of the O line:
“I feel like everything is bonded together. We all are playing really good next to each other and everything’s been going really well.”
On what it was like going home with a national championship ring:
“It felt surreal. It is something that you dream of as a kid. As a kid you grow up from Ohio and you always dream about playing for Ohio State. It’s just great that I am able to be here and play in a national championship.”
On what stood out to him about Ohio State during the transfer process:
“What I was saying earlier about the culture you can just tell that the guys you see are competitive. They want to be great, they want to be the best in the country and you saw that last year. That’s what really stood out to me because back at my old school, we had a really good family connection and I was afraid whether or not I’d find that at another school. Here the guys are all really close knit, we’re pushing each other and trying to be the best.”
On if he considered going pro:
“That was on my mind, but at the same time I wanted to continue to develop, which is why I wanted to find a good school where I can have a good O line coach who is going to help and mentor me. Coach Bowen is it. I’ve already noticed myself getting better and improving at things that were big discrepancies in my game.”
