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topicnews · August 27, 2024

Ohio State Football lets Tegra Tshabola start at right guard against Akron

Ohio State Football lets Tegra Tshabola start at right guard against Akron

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday that Tegra Tshabola will start at right guard when the Buckeyes open their season later this week against Akron.

Tshabola, a redshirt sophomore from West Chester Township, was competing with Carson Hinzman, another third-year lineman who started as a center last year.

“He has earned the right to start in this game,” Day said.

The battle for the position already seemed to be going in Tshabola’s favour last week when Day said he had earned the chance to play in Saturday’s opening match.

Right guard was the only starting spot that opened up last season when Matt Jones’ eligibility expired after six years with the Buckeyes. Day added that the Buckeyes would use linemen at that spot against the Zips.

While Hinzman played center until the Cotton Bowl, he had to compete with Tshabola at guard after the arrival of Alabama transfer Seth McLaughlin. McLaughlin had started 24 times at center for the Crimson Tide since 2021.

But Hinzman missed some time at the beginning of preseason camp, which allowed Tshabola to make his first appearance as right guard and apparently gain an advantage over the competition.

At 6’6″ and 325 lbs, Tshabola also has considerable size on the offensive line and competed with Josh Simmons for the starting left tackle position last August.

“Tegra is a big, powerful guy,” McLaughlin said. “When he moves, he’s a big man. He’s got a lot of weight and a lot of power behind him.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State University football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @joeyrkaufman or send him an email to [email protected].

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