What is up? Welcome to your daily Buckeye Blitz for a Friday, finally freaking Friday. I can’t say a football Friday though, January 20th, 2023. I’m still catching myself three weeks into the month and I’m still not ready. Alright, portal portal news.
Anyways, let’s talk about the portal. We got a tackle. No, we don’t. We lost one. Our guy Vic Vicky, thought that was a guy. No, Vic Cutler, 6’3″, 302, from UL Monroe. Yeah, University of Louisiana Monroe. The portal. I like this guy. Heard an interview with him already. Solid dude, well-spoken. Seems like he’s got a good head on his shoulders and just wants to come in and help win championships. So what more could you ask for, right? Anyway, he grew up in Detroit, actually, and moved to Louisiana about 10-11 years ago for his dad’s job or something. And so now he redshirted at ULM, yes, ULM, University of Louisiana Monroe. Sorry, it’s just tongue twister. Alright, redshirted in freshman year 2019, then he’s started 21 games for the War Hawks, did not know that was their name, at three different positions.
He’s played both tackle spots and center. He has two years of eligibility remaining, so that’s a huge bonus. If he comes in and needs a little time to pick up the playbook or whatever, at least it adds experience and depth, which we badly need. He played both tackle spots and center, shows that he’s versatile. He allowed one combined pressure in the Power Five opponents they faced, they played Texas and Alabama. He allowed one combined pressure total.
So obviously, he has the athleticism to play tackle, which is important, but he’s not coming in to play tackle. Frye says that the plan is for him to come in and play center. Okay, so that’s interesting. At least that’s what Cutler said Frye told him. So interesting. There again, he comes in to provide depth which we obviously need, because behind, we really didn’t have anybody behind Wypler. Jakob James could have been your second center, but Matt Jones really might have been the one to slide over for Luke Wypler had he gone out of a game.
So anyway, I don’t know if I have enough faith in Jakob James. I haven’t seen it. I haven’t seen enough of him to put faith in him that he’s gonna be the starting center. So, it does kind of clear things up in the Matthew Jones slot. So, he’ll be staying at guard. Assuming that Cutler can come in and play, you know, start from day one. He is coming in this month, so he’s coming in a little later in the semester, a week or two late. I don’t know how that works academically, but I’m sure they can figure it out. It’s what they do. Anyway, if Vic Cutler can come in and play center, that leaves Matt Jones at his guard spot.
Then, there’s been speculation that Donovan Jackson could slide out to left tackle because of his experience athleticism. So, if that happens, that gives you the ability to bring in Enokk Vimahi at that guard position vacated by Donovan Jackson. So, then you got to assume Josh Fryar is the other right tackle. So, that gives you, that would give you Fryar from right to left, Fryar, Matt Jones, Vic Cutler at center, then Enokk Vimahi who has played a lot relatively at the left guard, and then either a transfer portal guy or somebody comes in at Donovan Jackson at left tackle.
You know, I wouldn’t rule out the portal. I just, I don’t think anybody’s gonna, anybody worth a is going to come out after Spring ball in May when the portal opens up. I don’t know if you’re going to get a starting left tackle of Ohio State quality in May, you know, after spring Bowl. Most people jumping in that portal after Spring ball are the ones that have had that uncomfortable conversation with their position coach, you know, the “you’re not starting this year” kind of conversation. And if that is that left tackle, it, I don’t know, Eastern Kentucky, you really think he’s going to come in and be a starter left tackle at Iowa State? No, that’s not how it works.
So, I think if Donovan Jackson can play left tackle, I’m all for it. It shows the NFL his versatility. He was a hell of an athlete in high school, so I don’t rule it out. He’s a five-star. Does he have the size and the length, the length as I like to say, the length? There’s no G in length. Does he have the length to get those long arms out there, push on an edge rusher, and stay in front of him, get that punch, that initial hit, you know? So, we’ll see.
I’m sure this is all going to be up in the air until fall camp, and we’ll just have to see how this Vic Cutler guy fits into the mix, you know, how things shake out. But I think you gotta kind of keep an open mind about this for now, and you still got Zen Michalski and Tegra Tshabola, a little bit younger, especially Tegra, so what do they bring, you know, how do they make a level up, do they jump up, you know, a few steps and really crack that too deep? Welcome aboard, Vic Cutler, and hope you hope you can crack that starting lineup, see what you bring to the table.
That’s all I got for you today, folks. Don’t forget Sunday night YouTube live 8 P.M, me Jeff and Sean talking about the latest. I’m sure we’ll talk about horrible and the wild going on in Michigan, which suddenly has turned into like the dirtiest program knowingly. It’s all below the surface, not cooperating with the NCAA after lying to you know all that. So we’ll talk about Michigan and Harbaugh. We’ll talk about obviously the Buckeyes pickups. We’ll come up with some other topics like some breakout stories or things like that. Let me know if there’s any any topics you’d like us to hit on, And I hope to see you Sunday night. YouTube live 8 P.M Eastern. Talk to you later. Go bucks!