4-Star In-State Offensive Lineman Thayer Munford Commits to Ohio State

As we finally reach National Signing Day, the Buckeyes are looking to wrap up what looks to be an epic class on paper. Today they added to that class with the addition of 4-star offensive tackle Thayer Munford, out of Massillon, Ohio.

“I would like to take my talents and academic success to The Ohio State University,” Munford announced at a ceremony at his high school. “The reason why I chose this school is because it’s close to home and I like to see my family because I’m a family man.”

Munford had over 17 offers to consider when deciding on a college, and the Ohio State offer was a late one coming on his official visit a couple of weeks ago. Munford took a little bit of time before accepting the offer, becoming commit No. 21 in the class of 2017.

Kentucky was the perceived leader for Munford until the Buckeyes came calling at the last hour. He officially visited the Wildcats back in December following a November visit to Iowa State. He also unofficially visited Tennessee, Michigan State and Penn State.

As soon as offensive lineman Jake Moretti decommitted from OSU back in November, the Buckeyes have been on the lookout for a replacement to go along with Josh Myers and Wyatt Davis. They thought they had an outside shot of landing Trey Smith out of Tennessee, but came up short in their pursuit. That led them back in-state where they were closely watching Munford before deciding to offer.

The Player
Munford is a 6-foot-6 343-pound offensive tackle out of Massillon, Ohio. He is rated as the No. 31 offensive tackle prospect in the country and the No. 14 prospect out of the state of Ohio. While I don’t expect Munford to come in and make a difference in year one at Ohio State, he has the size and strength to be a force for the Buckeye offensive line when his playing time comes.

The Comparison
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not a big film watcher of offensive lineman, but when I watch Munford I see a bit of Mike Adams in him. Adams came into Ohio State as a highly rated recruit (5-star) in 2008 and he played sparingly his first two seasons before becoming a full time starter his junior year. He was quite a force to be reckoned with from what I remember, and excelled in run blocking more so than pass protection. While I don’t think that Munford sees the field as early or as often as Adams did at Ohio State, if he is able to replicate what he did for the Buckeyes then it will be a late offer well worth it.

The Fit
Munford brings size and strength to the Ohio State offensive line, and getting in one of the top strength and conditioning programs in the world will only help that. His size and strength are certainly an asset in run blocking, but he could use some refinement in pass protection. He will likely remain at tackle during his college career and should fit in nicely on the offensive line when his number is called for the Buckeyes.

The Depth Chart
While the Ohio State offensive line looks to be set for this coming year, it will lose Billy Price and Jamarco Jones off the roster next year, and possibly others. We haven’t seen the last of the transfers yet either, so that will play into how the depth chart looks come fall practice. He is likely not going to be on the two-deep until possibly his junior year, unless he has a Michael Jordan-type camp. We didn’t see anything out of last year’s freshman class other than Jordan, and we probably won’t this coming season either as it is hard to get playing time on the line in your first year.

The Future
The future is certainly bright for Munford as he has all the intangibles to be a dominant offensive lineman for Ohio State for years to come. He has to continue to grow as a pass blocker, as he seems to do very well in the run game. The Buckeyes have done well developing offensive lineman under Urban Meyer and that trend looks to continue with Thayer Munford.