Ryan Day makes promising statement about Ohio State football player making his first start against Miami in the Cotton Bowl
Ohio State will be without Tegra Tshabola against Miami in the Cotton Bowl.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will take on the Miami Hurricanes on Wednesday evening in the Cotton Bowl. The winner of this College Football Playoff game will advance to the semifinals and play either Georgia or Ole Miss.
Ohio State is relatively healthy for the most part heading into their biggest game of the season outside of one starter along the offensive line. Starting right guard Tegra Tshabola will not play in the Cotton Bowl and his status going forward is uncertain if the Buckeyes are to advance.
Ryan Day sounds confident in Gabe VanSickle ahead of his first start
It is expected to be redshirt freshman Gabe VanSickle starting at right guard against Miami on Wednesday in place of Tshabola. VanSickle is in his second season with the program after taking a redshirt in 2024. The second year Buckeye filled in against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship when Tshabola exited just before halftime.
“This is a good example of Gabe, who has continually gotten better each week, and a big part of it is the training and what we do every day in practice, going against some very good players every day in practice. He should have confidence,” Ryan Day said of VanSickle heading into his first start.
“Now, he’s going against an excellent front and a really good defense, but that’s what we expect this time of year in the playoffs. That’s why you have to trust your training every week. … The guys have confidence he’s gonna do his job. How do you do that? You build trust with your teammates on how you go about your business, and Gabe has done that.”
Tshabola has played plenty of football for the Buckeyes and they’ll miss a player who’s started for them the last two seasons, even if he wasn’t playing his best as of late. VanSickle first appeared for the Buckeyes against UCLA this season when Ohio State was splitting reps at right guard. The Buckeyes didn’t have a good offensive line showing in the Big Ten Championship, but things did improve in the second half as VanSickle settled in.
Ohio State needs a strong showing from the entire group against Miami’s defensive front that features Ruben Bain. The Buckeyes can’t have QB Julian Sayin under pressure as much as he was against Indiana or they’ll be fighting an uphill battle. Day’s confidence in VanSickle bodes well for a player making his first start in a huge moment.