While Lakota West graduate Tegra Tshabola returns for his fourth season in Columbus after starting every game at one of the guard spots last season, Siereveld started seven games in ‘24 and could be in position to play much more this fall.
The biggest question seems to be where that might be as he has tried his hand at tackle and guard this spring.
“I think my role is any role,” said Siereveld, who is entering his third year in Columbus. “I’m going to find a place to play, wherever it is — left, right, inside, outside. I feel like they’re going to find a place for me to play, and I’m just trying to get better as a football player and as a human being.”
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
Prior to the start of spring practice last month, Siereveld was named one of three “Iron Buckeyes” (along with receiver Jeremiah Smith and linebacker Sonny Styles) signifying the top performers in winter workouts.
The honor caught some observers off guard since Smith and Styles are both former five-star recruits who played major roles last season and Siereveld came to Columbus with much less fanfare as a three-star prospect, but he felt like he put his best foot forward in January and February.
“I was a little surprised,” Siereveld said. “I kind of had a feeling. I kind of could have guessed it, but that was one of my goals was to be an Iron Buckeye, and I just put the work in.”
He is part of what is shaping up to be a deep group of interior linemen working under new position coach Tyler Bowen.
“Super proud of Austin for achieving that,” Bowen said. “He’s been very consistent. You look at the guys who have been Iron Buckeyes, there’s some dudes on that wall, so I’m fired up for Austin and we’ve got to continue to bring others along.”
Along with Tshabola, starter Carson Hinzman returns at center while junior Luke Montgomery is also in the mix after starting the Cotton Bowl win over Texas and the national title game.
Behind them, a group of youngsters including Wayne grad Joshua Padilla is also pushing to impress Bowen.
“Josh has done a great job really developing into a consistent player,” Bowen said. “You can tell his wrestling background on the field, just the way he leverages, the way he’s able to anchor in the ground. He kind of feels balance and body positions with the defensive lineman. I’ve been very impressed with him.”
Now a 6-foot-4, 300-pound center for the Buckeyes, Padilla was 89-16 in three years as a high school wrestler.
He went 24-3 as a sophomore and 32-2 as a junior and was the top wrestler in the GWOC at 285 pounds while also starting at tackle for the Warriors.
“I feel like my mentality is still the same,” he said after a practice last week. “I feel like wrestling has definitely developed my mentality and my knack, and I feel like I go out there and I try and like basically destroy someone every time.”
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Padilla is only repping at center, though he said he feels ready to take over the top job if Hinzman ends up starting at a different position.
While Bowen has done a lot of cross-training between positions this spring as he learns what his new pupils can do, versatility is also one of the buzzwords in the secondary.
That’s where safeties coach Matt Guerrieri is evaluating potential replacements for Lathan Ransom and Jordan Hancock, who were standout seniors last season.
The main competitors to replace Ransom appear to be Jaylen McClain, a second-year player from New Jersey, and Malik Hartford, who is entering his third season at Ohio State after starring at Lakota West.
“I’m really happy with those two guys,” Guerrieri said last week. “Malik’s had a great spring. Jaylen’s had a great spring. Competition’s been awesome.”
While he is trying to identify the best player to put alongside All-American safety Caleb Downs, Guerrieri said the battle is not necessarily winner-take-all.
He can envision both players being part of packages that are part of the regular defense, a specialty of new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.
“It’s our job as coaches to have packages,” Guerrieri said. “If those guys earn the right to be on the field, we’ve got to put them on the field. How do we find the balance to be able to play multiple safeties, multiple corners and packaging? Matt Patricia’s the guru of being able to do that throughout his career, what he’s been able to do from a personnel standpoint.
“I’m very, very impressed and happy with Malik and Jaylen, the mentality, the performance on the field. It’s been really good.”
Also trying to position himself for playing time in the secondary is Aaron Scott Jr, a sophomore cornerback from Springfield.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
Senior Davison Igbinosun returns as a starter at one corner while junior Jermaine Mathews Jr. is the favorite to replace Denzel Burke at the other, but Scott said no one is going let them just have those roles this fall.
“It’s very competitive,” Scott said “I’m telling IGB (Igbinosun), and we’re all telling each other, ‘I’m going to come take y’all spots. I’m going to come take y’all seats.’ And they let me know they’re not going to let me do that. So it’s all good.”
Mathews, who was the top reserve corner last season, is also in the mix at the Nickel position, which is a mix of safety and inside cornerback, so it remains to be seen how things shake out this fall.
“I don’t know what his role is going to be, but he’s been doing well this spring,” Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton said of Scott. “So he’s been competing. He’s been applying the game. His functional intelligence has been up. He has a passion for it. He plays with great effort, and things are coming along for him, and he’s playing with confidence. So all those things build, and then can we sustain it? Can we keep going?
“And the roles take care of themselves when you get closer to game time. It’s real early on that part now, because we’ve still got a few weeks of spring ball, and then we still have training camp.”
The 6-foot Scott said his focus has been on adding strength and learning the finer points of his craft since he enrolled in the middle of last winter.
“I would say learning the game more, learning concepts and just knowing what the offense is going to do before they do it,” he said. “I’ve been doing good. I feel like I’m very physical. I feel like my off-man (coverage technique) got way better. I’m just more attuned to what’s going on and understanding how the game goes.”
OHIO STATE SPRING GAME
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Where: Ohio Stadium, Columbus
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