Ohio State’s offensive line still has a left tackle question hanging over it, but Aaron Taylor isn’t sounding any alarms.
The CBS Sports analyst and former Notre Dame, Packers and Chargers standout had plenty to say about the Buckeyes while discussing Johnsonville Sausage’s partnership with the Joe Moore Award, and his read on the unit was simple: the uncertainty in Columbus is nothing compared with what other national contenders are dealing with.
“So you look at a school like Ohio State, which has a question at left tackle; that's phenomenal because Oregon has probably three question marks. They've got eight that can play, but they don't know what combination it's going to be, and that's proving to be a key differentiator for the units that emerge and move on from maybe a semifinalist to a finalist and then the eventual (Joe Moore Award) winner,” Taylor said.
Taylor pointed to consistency as a major factor in the award’s evaluation, and he said injuries are making that even more important in the NIL and portal era.
“Consistency is one of the six criteria, and it's proving to become more and more important because injuries are having some sort of a force multiplier effect in the era of the NIL and the portal. We can't fully put our fingers on them, but we are watching that when one player goes down, it's a 2x reduction in production for a week or two longer than it's been historically.
“So the dip is further, faster, and it takes longer to climb out of it, and I think we saw that a season ago with Ohio State, maybe even the last couple seasons, but certainly with Texas, Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, all of them. All of those units had a single player go down that, when they had to shuffle the deck, was problematic. Indiana, for a couple of games, had that situation happen last year, so, as having challenges and question marks, I think Ohio State's way ahead of the pack compared to some of the other national contenders.”
The Buckeyes’ exact plan up front still isn’t fully settled. Ian Moore is in the mix at left tackle, while Austin Siereveld could either stay outside or slide back to his more natural spot at right guard. If Moore isn’t ready, Siereveld could handle the blindside, with Joshua Padilla also pushing for snaps at guard.
Transfer running back Ja'Kobi Jackson appeared to hint that Ohio State intends to use Moore at tackle and Siereveld inside, but whether that is the final answer or just a slip of the tongue remains unclear.
Even with that uncertainty, Taylor sees a line with plenty of options. Padilla can work across the interior, Gabe VanSickle is in the guard mix, and true freshman tackle Sam Greer could also be part of the rotation behind a projected group from left to right of Moore, Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, Siereveld and Phillip Daniels.
That depth is what stands out to Taylor, and it matters. Up front, chemistry can shape everything an offense is able to do. For Buckeye fans wondering how the line will hold together, Taylor’s message was a reassuring one: Ohio State may still be sorting out the final pieces, but compared with the rest of the field, it looks to be in strong shape.
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