Ohio State head coach Ryan Day reveals surprising plan to replace injured left tackle Josh Simmons
Everyone has a plan until the stuff hits the fan. The Ohio State Buckeyes were forced to adjust on the fly against Oregon in Week 7 as star left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through the game. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day pulled no punches about the impact of Simmons' injury […]
Everyone has a plan until the stuff hits the fan. The Ohio State Buckeyes were forced to adjust on the fly against Oregon in Week 7 as star left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through the game.
Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day pulled no punches about the impact of Simmons' injury to the group this week and said the coaching staff has already planned on an emergency plan. Simmons was a possible first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, so his injury is massive.
Zen Michalski filled in admirably for Simmons in relief, playing 46 snaps. He allowed two pressures and charted poorly overall by PFF, but the eye test didn't show that Michalski was that much of an issue for the offense. The guard play was more concerning as the Buckeyes' run game was abysmal.
Day revealed that while Michalski will fill in for Simmons "right now," the team has a backup plan in case he struggles. This is big as the Buckeyes play Penn State and star pass-rusher Abdul Carter in two weeks.
The shocking backup plan behind Michalski is All-Big Ten left guard Donovan Jackson. Jackson, who has had a solid bounce-back season from a 2023 campaign that was below what most expected, has never played left tackle before, given his physical traits.
1,919 career snaps have come at left guard, 61 at right guard, and eight at right tackle. Moving to left tackle to face off against Carter should only happen in quite the emergency.
The idea, though, is better than trying someone less physically gifted, experienced, and overall talented. While Jackson would be at a disadvantage against Carter and a few elite edge-rushers, those matchups are few and far between.
Of course, those matchups will exist when games matter the most. Penn State has Carter, Georgia has Mykel Williams, Oregon has Jordan Burch, Texas has Collin Simmons, and Alabama has LT Overton. If Jackson slid to tackle, either Austin Siereveld, who has split time at right guard with Tegra Tshabola, or Luke Montgomery might take his place.
As you can see, this would be quite the dire situation where Ohio State would be scrambling with multiple starters out of position.
Jackson has allowed only three sacks and 26 pressures over the course of his career, so even when he's not elite, he's pretty darn good. I don't think the idea of moving him over is crazy, as the risk is significant if Michalski can't handle the job. You'd rather have a weakness at guard than tackle if forced to make the choice.
