Ad Disclosure
Ohio State OL coach Greg Studrawa impressed early by freshman Donovan Jackson
Published:
Finding success early as an offensive lineman is not an easy task at Ohio State. The program regularly has the size and talent that usually keeps freshmen on the sidelines.
That may not be the case with newcomer Donovan Jackson, though. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Texas native is already making a great impression on his position coach, Greg Studrawa.
Jackson was a 5-star member of Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class. He’s hoping to carve out some serious playing time in his first year in Columbus. It sounds like that might be within his reach.
“Donovan Jackson is unbelievable — what he’s done so far,” Studrawa said, per the Columbus Dispatch. “He’s running with the twos, hasn’t skipped a beat. His athleticism and power and what he’s done is unbelievable.”
As a member of the 2021 recruiting class, Jackson was ranked as the No. 19 overall prospect, per 247Sports Composite.
The Buckeyes have a lot of size and skill on the offensive line heading into the 2021 season. In recent practices, they’ve been experimenting with a first-team unit that includes Thayer Munford, Dawand Jones, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Harry Miller and Paris Johnson.
Linebacker Teradja Mitchell jokingly refers to that lineup as the “Monstars” from the movie Space Jam because of the incredible size.
Cracking that rotation isn’t an easy feat. But performing consistently with the second string is an ode to the talent Jackson brings to the line. It also provides Studrawa and Ohio State with great depth up front.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB