Ohio State held Day 3 of fall training camp Monday and the Offensive Line met with media afterwards to discuss team progress.
On 1st camp with Ohio State
“Base, bend, balance, and burst. That will never change. Great offensive lineman play with great pace and great bend, they’re balanced, they’re not on the ground, and they burst. They run off the ball, they pass set with urgency, and they know what they’re doing.”
On being one of the most hands on and passionate coaches on the staff
“It’s not a competition, obviously I’m way younger than Kevin Wilson so I probably have a little more juice than him, you can tell him I said that too.”
(Continued) “I played it, and that’s the way it goes. You can’t stand back there and bark at a dude, cross your arms and look at your script. If you’re in it with them, if you’re passionate with them. They feel that and they’ll thrive off that, that’s just me and I look for guys like that.”
On the 4 B’s (base, bend, balance, burst) and it being new to the team
“I think that’s the game itself, the verbalization of that may be new… we could bring in my daughter and my wife and ask them can you block a guy with your toes together and standing straight or would you rather have your legs wide.”
On seeing Paris Johnson Jr getting used to going back to tackle
“Absolutely, he was inside for 12-14 games, and then now you get moved to the island and it’s flashing a little quicker there. This guy’s tough too, he’s a fighter, he wants to be great. Everything he does he just wants to be great. I’m new here so people like to say ‘oh he’s just talking in cliches,’ but no it’s a fact. He wants to be a really good player, he asks for the tools to be a good player, and he’s doing that right now.”
On Coach Frye
“He knows the interests of every player, and how to coach them up and get the most out of them, which has been really cool. He came in, had a plan for me and that has been able to help me out a lot so far.”
How playing guard has helped him play tackle
“I feel like the time I spent in the summer to work on: pass pro, taking things slower, adjusting to space, and getting the technique down has definitely helped me out in camp and has made pass pro feel fun again, like it was in high school. There are some situations where I use my right guard technique in pass pro and it looks really clean.. somebody I watch a lot is Evan Neal, he has tape where his feet and space in pass pro look really good because he spent a season at guard and it really shows.”
On differences he notices with Dawand Jones compared to a few years ago
“I would definitely say his focus and demeanor. His preparation has been business like, which is a really good step. He’s been really locked in during film and has been taking notes, he doesn’t accept half reps anymore and that’s really showing on the field.”
What is your mental preparation off the field?
“The one thing I tell myself is I just want to enjoy the day and not let anything steal my joy. The second thing I tell myself is I want to be deliberate with everything I do. I want to be intentional, whether it’s workouts or watching film. A lot of people watch film but a lot of people aren’t watching with purpose and intent and I feel like it’s a step I need to take to mature mentally in my off the field preparation, and having that intent I feel like it translates.”
On how he feels after his weight loss on the field
“I feel better, I feel faster, a little bit healthier I would say. I know that for my future it would be better to lose weight, it’s healthier and you don’t need all that load on your knees.. when you’re bigger everything is slower, your body moves slow, you move slow, and when you move slow you can’t fire out like that.”
Is there a bond between the Indiana guys on this team?
“Honestly I would say yes. Josh is my roommate for the hotel and I think that’s cool. I recruited him here and we’ve known each other since then and even further back. Zen, I make fun of him all the time because he lives on the border of Indiana and Kentucky, so I always joke that he’s from Kentucky. Caden is another Indiana guy and that’s my guy. We ride home all the time, and we chill. That’s my dog.”
On coming into his senior year
“I’m proud of myself for not giving up and just keep on pushing myself. I’ve had ups and downs and I’m just happy to be where i’m at now and I’m just gonna keep on pushing and growing….Whatever I’ve gotta do, I’ll get it done.”
On the Offensive Line
“We all work together. Like, everything we do, we do together.”
On Ohio State
“I love this program. The way that we work together, the brotherhood… I just love the connection that we have as a team and everybody just grows.”
On reaching the starting line:
“I’m just proud of myself for just holding on and I’m going to just keep progressing and keep going.”
On starting more hardcore workouts coming into the fall:
“Over the summer, the off-season workouts are crazy and it’s all for this moment. Notre dame is coming here and we gotta protect The ‘Shoe. It’s the number one goal and it’s always been the goal”
On pass protection holding up:
“We know what we have in our backfield and who we have on the perimeter. Our goal is always to deliver the ball to our playmakers. I feel like if we were able to do that last year, we’ll be able to do it 10x better this year”
“I feel like part of my role as a vet is to bring the young guys up. They’re the guys that are gonna help me become a better man and I’ll help them become a better offensive lineman”
On preseason camp importance:
“My time is coming to a close. I only have so many years left here. I can definitely feel the pressure, but that pressure also comes with staying after to watch more film and staying after to perfect my craft”
On Coach Frye:
“He is very hands on. If you don’t do it right, he’s gonna do it right for you. A lot of the visual guys have benefited a lot from it. Coach Frye has brought great energy to the O-Line room. Everybody loves him.”
On pressure of moving into a starting position:
“I’m expected to play like a starting offensive linemen at Ohio State. That carries a lot of weight. To be able to hold up the standard and improve the standard is what Coach Day and Coach Frye want from not only me but the offensive line as a whole.”
On what it means to play like an offensive linemen at OSU:
“To play like an offensive lineman at Ohio State, you gotta play with physicality and play with an edge to you. The game is in the trenches, and if you’re in the trenches, you gotta get after it”
On his first time back after injury:
“I can’t explain the feeling. To be out there and not be on the sideline but be with guys playing, that’s a really good feeling”
On how leadership has affected him:
“Leadership here is unbelievable. I just want to be one of the guys that works and works and works without saying anything”
On what maturity means for Zen:
“Knowing what you’re doing on the field and going through your reads and keys is important. The maturity of not hanging your hat on having a really good day and just continuing to go out and grind each day is big.”
On gaining confidence in the second left tackle spot:
“I feel like over the off-season with the amount of work I’ve put in, I’ve been owning that spot… I definitely think I have a lot more ownership than I did last year… It feels great. It gives me a lot more confidence knowing that other people have confidence in you.”
