Written by Dan Wismar

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(one in a series of position group previews of the 2010 Buckeyes)



The Buckeyes have a wealth of talent, size and experience across the entire offensive front in 2010, but it's on the inside, from guard to guard, where they look especially formidable. Left to right in the middle of the line, it's the three B's....Justin Boren, center Mike Brewster, and Bryant Browning...three-year starters all (if you count Boren's year up north), and all candidates for at least all-conference honors.  They'll be counted on to pick up right where they left off in 2009...leading the power rushing attack that sets up the rest of the OSU offense.

There's a bit less experience at the tackles, but no less ability. Juniors J.B. Shugarts at right tackle and Mike Adams on the left side are both returning starters (Adams had four starts in '09 before his injury) and they're backed by Andy Miller, who started the first three games last year at left tackle. Both Shugarts and Adams arrived this summer with improved physiques and a little more to prove than their more seasoned teammates on the inside. They've both had injury problems in their first two seasons at OSU, so durability is still a concern.

I've heard more than one media person suggest that this Ohio State team will go as far as their offensive tackles take them...that there is no more important key to the success or failure of this team to reach their goal, that is....to go 13-0.  That's not a controversial statement to make, especially with so few question marks on this team, and with the possible exception of the kicking game concerns, I can pretty much agree. To me the key will be to simply keep the starters on the field and healthy. If Adams and Shugarts are healthy all year and continue to improve as expected, this offensive line can be fearsome.

It scarcely needs to be said that a run at a possible national championship could be derailed by any major injury to a starting offensive lineman. And this Buckeye team's chances might be especially vulnerable to that kind of event. It's no slam on the Buckeye backups to admit there would be quite a drop off in experience, and probably productivity, if any of the five OSU starters were to be lost to injury. There are more than nine seasons worth of starting experience between the five offensive line starters for Ohio State. There are four games of starting experience on their bench.

This was a group that developed into a punishing run-blocking force in the second half of 2009 (mostly with Jim Cordle at LT) as the Bucks finished the regular season with 5 straight games with over 225 yards rushing, averaging 257 yds. Was it the proverbial light coming on? 

Well, the Buckeyes have a lot of weapons on offense, but the ability to run the ball at will with straight power football makes the other weapons that much more unpredictable and dangerous. The hope is that the formula for that second-half rushing success will be the starting point for 2010, and there's no good reason why it shouldn't work that way with the personnel they have returning on offense.

When you preview the power inside running attack led by Boren, Brewster and Browning, don't forget the fourth "B", the 252 lb. fullback Zach Boren, brother of Justin, and an honorary guard in Jim Tressel's offense. He didn't have a carry from scrimmage last year, but he started every game, and he's always looking for a linebacker to knock down.


Depth a Concern

There are some good young linemen in the pipeline for line coach Jim Bollman, but outside of sophomore tackle Marcus Hall, there's very little significant game experience for any of the backups. Jack Mewhort and Corey Linsley saw some action as freshmen in 2009, and they would be the probable replacements if any of the three B's on the inside went down, having both played some center as well as guard.

There is just one incoming freshmen on the offensive line unit, that being the nation's #2-ranked offensive tackle Andrew Norwell. He's a great-looking young talent, but also a kid one hopes doesn't have to get rushed into action this year. On balance, Bollman's offensive line unit doesn't appear to have the same kind of depth we see in some other position groups on this year's team. So I am hereby naming them "The OSU position group...(immediately after quarterback)...least able to adequately replace an injured starter and still compete for the national championship"

To run the table a thousand things have to go right, including having Lady Luck smile on you with good health. These OSU offensive line starters can take the team where they want to go if they get their share of smiles in 2010.  Depending on how deeply they have to dip into the depth chart due to injuries, all of that could change in a hurry.

Here's some more detail on this year's Buckeye offensive linemen...


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Guards


Justin Boren - #65 - Senior   6' 3", 320   Pickerington (OH) H.S.

Boren will be in his second year as the starter at left guard for OSU after transferring from Michigan and sitting out the 2008 season. He started all 13 games for the Wolverines at center or guard in 2007, and was voted Honorable Mention All-Big Ten that season. In his first season in Scarlet and Gray last year, he was voted first team All-Big Ten.

Boren is showing up on several preseason All-American lists this summer, and is widely considered one of the top two or three offensive guards available in next year's NFL Draft. Known as a tough competitor who plays through the whistle, Boren will be one of the emotional leaders on offense for the 2010 Bucks. When his brother Zach, the OSU fullback, lead blocks on Justin's side, opposing defenses will have to contend with 570 pounds of Boren nastiness all at once. That should be fun to watch.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Bryant Browning - #70 - Senior  6' 4", 313  (Cleveland, OH) Glenville H.S.

After starting at right tackle for the 2008 season, Browning moved inside last season as a junior and flourished at right guard for the Big Ten champion Buckeyes. At offensive guard, he was better able to take advantage of his lower body strength, teaming up with Boren and Brewster to control the interior of the line of scrimmage and power the inside rushing game.

Browning combines brains with the brawn, having finished first academically in his senior class at Glenville, and making Academic All-Big Ten last season. And he's been durable at OSU, starting all 13 games in both 2008 and 2009.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Jack Mewhort - #74 - R-Freshman   6' 6", 288   (Toledo, OH)  St. John's H.S.

Mewhort was an all-State selection as a senior at St. John's, and started at center in the Under Armour All-America Game after his senior year. On arriving in Columbus, he immediately impressed the OSU coaches with his versatility. He has shown the ability to play every position on the offensive line, but after having worked quite a bit at center last season, he appears to have settled in at the guard spot, at least for the moment. Mewhort was listed as the backup to Browning at right guard in the spring depth chart, but it would not be a surprise to see him at either guard position in the event of an injury.  And given his background, he remains an insurance policy at center and tackle as well.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Connor Smith - #77 - Senior  6' 4", 313   (Cincinnati, OH) Colerain H.S.

Smith came to OSU as a five-star recruit and a Parade All-American in 2006, but has not been able to crack the starting lineup as a Buckeye. His Colerain team won the state championship when Smith was a senior, but they were almost exclusively a running team, and Smith came to OSU with very little pass blocking experience. There's a Smith family legacy at Ohio State...Connor's father Joe played guard and tackle for the Buckeyes in the early 80's, and his younger brother Spencer is a walk-on at tight end on the current roster.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Tackles



Mike Adams - #75 - Junior   6' 8" 300  Dublin (OH) Coffman H.S.

Adams arrived in Columbus in 2008 as one of the stalwarts of the celebrated "Block O" class of highly-rated offensive linemen that also included Mike Brewster and J.B. Shugarts. Since that time he has been beset by various injuries that have slowed his development, but the talent that made him a Parade and USA Today first team All-American two years ago remains, and Adams will have his opportunity to put it all together this fall at the crucial left tackle position for the Buckeyes.

Adams took over as the starter at left tackle in the fourth game of 2009, and started four games before injuring his knee. By the time he returned to action for the Iowa game in late November, Jim Cordle was entrenched at the LT spot, though Adams saw action in that game, and in the Rose Bowl. He has gotten stronger physically and lost some weight this past offseason, so he'll enter 2010 in impressive shape. OSU fans have been looking for some more aggressiveness and consistency out of Adams, and he appears motivated to deliver both come September.

Scout page - Rivals page

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J.B. Shugarts - #76 - Junior   6' 7", 297   Klein (TX) H.S.

Shugarts started 10 games at right tackle for the Bucks in 2009 after getting some significant playing time at tackle as a freshman in 2008. Coming off of offseason shoulder surgery last summer, he took over from Cordle as the starter in the third game of 2009, and remained at right tackle the rest of the season, missing just one additional game with a minor injury.

Though he was one of the strongest Buckeyes almost from his arrival on campus, Shugarts has worked very diligently in the weight room, and by this summer the word "beast" was often turning up in the same sentence as the word "Shugarts". He's a mean run-blocker, and his long arms and quick feet have helped him develop into a better than average pass-blocking tackle as well. He is extremely quick off the snap...and tended to false start at times last year by anticipating too much. With a full season as starter behind him, Shugarts looks to have the Buckeyes' right tackle position in very capable hands for the next two years.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Andy Miller - #55 - Senior   6' 6", 288   (Washington, PA) Trinity H.S.

Miller was recruited to OSU as a tight end, but he showed early on that his frame, feet and reach were well-suited to the tackle position. He helped out as a backup at guard and at tight end as a sophomore in 2008, and then began working primarily at tackle as a junior last season. He won the starting job at left tackle at the beginning of the 2009 campaign, starting the first three games of the season before coming down with the flu and missing some time. He then spelled Adams and Cordle at that spot the rest of the year. He'll continue to compete with Adams for the starting job this fall, and whatever happens with that spot, he's a veteran contributor who has the confidence of the coaches to produce when called upon.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Marcus Hall - #79 - Sophomore  6' 5", 321   (Cleveland, OH)  Glenville H.S.

Hall was the most highly regarded of last year's freshman offensive linemen, having been named Parade All-American and first team all-state in Ohio. He got some playing time at tackle throughout his freshman season, and got one start at right tackle in the Iowa game when Shugarts was out. He is listed as the backup at right tackle behind Shugarts this summer, though he could probably play on the left side as well if need be. Hall brings great size and athleticism to the field, and lacks only additional game experience to be ready to take over as a starter on the outside when his time comes.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Andrew Norwell - #78 - Freshman  6' 5", 308   (Cincinnati, OH) Anderson H.S.

Norwell was rated the nation's #2 offensive tackle by Scout and #9 by Rivals among last year's seniors, but he missed most of his senior football and basketball seasons when he fractured his tibia early in the 2009 campaign. All indications are that he is 100% for this fall though, and the OSU coaches love his toughness, his mobility and his intensity on the field. In a perfect scenario for Ohio State, Norwell would redshirt this season and work on getting stronger and improving on his technique. However, the injury histories of players in front of him at tackle, plus some lingering concerns about possible academic issues elsewhere in the depth chart, combine to make it somewhat more likely that Norwell could see the field as a true freshman. 

Rivals page

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Sam Longo - #59 - R-Freshman   6' 5", 280    (Spring Valley, OH)  Bellbrook H.S.

Longo took a redshirt year as a freshman in 2009, and he is currently penciled in third on the depth chart at left tackle behind Miller and Adams. Longo was an accomplished track athlete in high school in addition to his football exploits. He was a state qualifier in the shot put and the discus, and finished fourth in the state in the shot. Selected for the Big 33 game after his senior season. Longo is from the same school that produced Austin Spitler for the Buckeyes. He will probably be limited to mop-up duty in 2009, but at some point during the season, he should have his first chance to take the field as a Buckeye.


Scout page - Rivals page

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Centers


Mike Brewster - #50 - Junior  6' 5", 293   (Orlando, FL)  Edgewater H.S.

The stellar 2008 OSU recruiting class took their nickname "The Brew Crew" from Brewster's name, because he committed early and then led the cheerleading for the rest of the high-profile recruits, including Terrelle Pryor, to join the class. That should tell you something about the leadership skills possessed by the former Parade, USA Today and EA Sports All-American center. He took over as the OSU starter at center just four games into his freshman year in 2008...the same game Pryor became the starting QB as a freshman, and he has started every game since.

This preseason Brewster is considered the favorite for All-Big Ten recognition at center, and he is on the Rimington and Lombardi Award watchlists for 2010. Brewster is very quick and mobile for a guy just under 300 lbs., and he has gotten continually stronger in two years of strength and conditioning in Columbus. With 23 starts at OSU already on his resume, it's hard to believe the junior from Florida has potentially the best two years of his Buckeye career still ahead of him.

Scout page - Rivals page

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Corey Linsley - #71 - R-Freshman  6' 2", 298   Boardman (OH) H.S.

Linsley was a four-star recruit in the class of 2009, and redshirted as a freshman while working at both guard and center. After alternating with Jack Mewhort as the second team center last year, the coaches have apparently decided on Linsley as their backup to Brewster going into 2010. He was listed on the spring depth chart as a backup at both guard and center, so it's possible he could still be used at either position.

Linsley has exceptional lower body strength with great leg drive and the ability to play low in the trenches. The lower body power was in evidence in Linsley as a high school athlete when he won the state championship in the discus, and placed second in the shot put as a senior at Boardman. He'll be seeing his first playing time as a Buckeye in 2010, and could project as one of the 2011 replacements for the two senior offensive guards on this year's team.

Scout page - Rivals page

 

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Other articles in the series of position group previews of the 2010 Buckeyes:

Linebackers

Running Backs


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Photo credits:

Jim Davidson, The-Ozone.net

Gary Housteau, Bucknuts.com

Josh Winslow, BSB

Scout.com

Rivals.com