Ranking the five best Ohio State offensive linemen of the Ryan Day era

COLUMBUS — Ohio State has a long, proud history of elite offensive line play. And the Buckeyes have had some top-level offensive linemen come through the program during the last six years.

Yes, Ryan Day’s program has missed when battling for some key offensive line recruitments in recent years. But the Buckeyes have also kept a consistent level of OL play — helped by some of the best linemen in the country suiting up for them.

Lettermen Row is using Offensive Line Week, our week-long deep dive into the position, to rank the top five offensive linemen of the first six years of the Ryan Day era. Let’s break down the best of the best — and some honorable mentions.

1. Paris Johnson Jr.

Ohio State knew Paris Johnson was going to be a superstar when it recruited the five-star prospect from Princeton High School in Cincinnati. And he was absolutely a superstar, the most can’t-miss Buckeyes offensive lineman in years who delivered on all of that. Johnson played in just four games during the COVD-shortened 2020 season, none of them starts, but he started every game in 2021 and 2022. He was a second-team All-Big Ten performer in his first season as a starter, which came at guard. And his lone season at left tackle came in 2022, when he was a consensus All-American before becoming the sixth overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals in the 2023 NFL Draft. Johnson doesn’t have the most hardware of any Ohio State offensive lineman from this era, but he is objectively the most talented.

2. Wyatt Davis

Another former five-star prospect, Wyatt Davis committed to Urban Meyer as part of the loaded 2017 recruiting class but finished his career under Day for two seasons. Davis was a star at guard for Ohio State, becoming a two-time first-team All-Big Ten performer and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2020. He was a consensus All-American in 2019 and was a unanimous All-American performer in the shortened 2020 season. He is the most decorated offensive lineman of the Day era so far and became a third-round NFL Draft choice. It’s a wonder how Davis has not been as successful in the NFL because he was a star for the Buckeyes for multiple seasons. He barely edged out Donovan Jackson for the second spot because of his accolades — even though Jackson won a national title.

3. Donovan Jackson

Like Johnson and Davis, Donovan Jackson showed up at Ohio State as a five-star prospect who was bursting with potential. He played in 10 games — at three different positions — during his freshman season before starting at left guard his entire sophomore year, lining up beside Johnson on the Buckeyes 2022 offensive line. Jackson started at left guard again in 2023 and was a star of a struggling offensive line. Last season was Jackson’s best at Ohio State, though. He opened the year at left guard and moved to left tackle in October when Josh Simmons (more on him later) went down with a knee injury. Jackson faced some of the best defensive ends in the country while playing left tackle, and he thrived while leading Ohio State to the 2024 national championship. Jackson was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and was a first-team All-American in 2024. Now he’s with the Minnesota Vikings as a first-round draft choice.

4. Josh Simmons

A three-star prospect who played two seasons at San Diego State, Josh Simmons transferred to Ohio State to replace Paris Johnson as the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle. And he struggled early during the 2023 season in which he started all 13 games. He steadily improved through that year, though, and entered last season as one of the top offensive line prospects for the NFL Draft in the country. And he lived up to it, showing up on mid-season All-America teams before he injured his knee in mid-October at Oregon. Had Simmons stayed healthy, he would have likely become an All-American selection for the Buckeyes and helped them to a national title. Despite only playing in 19 games at Ohio State, Simmons became a first-round draft choice to the Kansas City Chiefs this spring. And he’s certainly among the best offensive linemen Ryan Day has had.

5. Thayer Munford

This might come as a surprise to some, but it certainly shouldn’t. Munford went from a three-star in-state recruit to a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and first-team All-American pick in 2021. He started games across five seasons at Ohio State, appearing in 54 games and starting 45 of those games, a remarkable feat that spanned across both the tenures of Urban Meyer and Ryan Day. Munford was a mainstay on the first three offensive lines Ryan Day and Greg Studrawa started, and now he’s a starting offensive tackle for the Las Vegas Raiders. He’s one of the most underrated players of the Ryan Day era, and he’s among the best Ohio State linemen from the last six years.

Honorable mention

C Seth McLaughlin: Transferred from Alabama last offseason and became the Rimington Trophy winner in one season as a Buckeyes starter.

C Josh Myers: Started two seasons at center for the Buckeyes and was a major piece of the great 2019 offensive line. He was a first-team All-Big Ten performer and a second-team All-American performer in 2020.

OT Nicholas Petit-Frere: Second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten tackle in 2021 and a second-team All-Big Ten performer in 2020.