The Hurry-Up: Justin Frye Seeks to Recruit Versatile Offensive Linemen, Preston Alford

Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, safeties coach Perry Eliano, cornerbacks coach Tim Walton and offensive line coach Justin Frye were all tasked with visiting high schools around the country and selling Ohio State to numerous high-profile recruits during the January contact period even though they had just started their new jobs.

Eliano told reporters Monday that wasn’t as hard as it sounds, mostly because of the relationships he has built during his coaching career. Selling Ohio State wasn’t too foreign to Frye either. He has already worked with Ryan Day when they were both assistants at Temple and Boston College, so he was able to tell recruits what playing for Day would be like. 

“They made the conversations with the kids easier,” Frye said. “Knowing you sell the vision of the program and you sell from the top down, then I can speak to that more because I’ve known Ryan for so long, so that probably helped.” 

Frye has had his hands full with recruiting since replacing Greg Studrawa as the Buckeyes’ offensive line coach, primarily because offensive tackle is one of the most pressing needs for Ohio State’s 2023 cycle. The former UCLA offensive line coach has made in-person visits to numerous 2023 offensive tackle targets such as Luke Montgomery, Chase Bisontis, Samson Okunlola and Olaus Alinen. He’s visited with Montgomery and Bisontis in person multiple times, and has spoken with Alinen and Okunlola multiple times. 

“At the end of day, you got to go in and dig on these kids and show them who you are, what you’re about, how you’re going to develop them, how you’re going to take care of them on and off the field,” Frye said, not commenting on any specific recruit because NCAA rules forbid him to do so until they sign their National Letters of Intent. “You talk to the parents, you talk to the coaches and you just build it that way because it’s a relationship business. College football has become more and more of a business, and our business is still people.” 

From a general standpoint, Frye said he likes finding linemen with versatility to play both tackle and inside, but knows he will sometimes sign players that likely only slot into one or the other. 

“As you recruit, and you look at your board, you want to recruit so many tackles and so many interior guys,” Frye said. “You have to have swing guys, because of injuries and all those other things that go but I’ll always be the philosophy like you have to play your five best, right? So if you’re, if the starting left guard, whoever it is goes down, and the backup left guard is your ninth-best guy, you’re not going to put him and have your sixth-best guy still sit on the sidelines. So does that mean your right guard goes to the left guard because the backup right guard is six? You know, there’s some gymnastics there. 

“To manage the roster, you want to have so many tackles and so many guards and you’d like those guys to play that way. But every once in a while there could be some shell game going on of moving an outside guy inside or an inside guy outside so that your five best are playing to give you a chance to win the game.”

Alford receives PWO offer from OSU

Ohio State hopes to add to depth to its running back room for 2022, as it extended a preferred walk-on opportunity to Texas running back Preston Alford on Friday.

After talking to @CoachTonyAlford I am honored for the opportunity to play @OhioStateFB #GoBucks @11W @Bucknuts247 pic.twitter.com/LSI3eygD9E

— Preston Alford (@prestonalford14) February 4, 2022

Alford, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back from Dripping Springs, Texas, has scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Air Force, Columbia, Dartmouth, Eastern Kentucky, Navy and Stephen F. Austin, but was offered a chance to join Ohio State as a PWO instead if he decides to go that route.

In eight games for Dripping Springs High School last season, Alford ran for 1,245 yards and 28 touchdowns on 146 carries for a 8.5 yards per carry average. He also caught 19 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. If Alford picks OSU, he’d provide additional depth in a running back room that currently features five scholarship running backs: TreVeyon Henderson, Miyan Williams, Marcus Crowley, Evan Pryor and Dallan Hayden.

R.J. Jones commits to Cal 

One of Ohio State’s 2023 safety targets is off the board. Four-star California safety R.J. Jones made his college decision on Friday, announcing his verbal commitment to Cal. 

COMMITTED. @CalFootball @boscofootball @premiumsportsla @CoachTreW @CoachTB02 @FootballRecruit @GregBiggins @adamgorney @BrandonHuffman pic.twitter.com/oK3KROFBkG

— RJ Jones (@RJJoness_) February 4, 2022

Jones is ranked as the 207th-best prospect and the 19th-best safety in the 2023 class, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. Ohio State has one safety committed in the 2023 class in four-star Florida defensive back Cedrick Hawkins while uncommitted targets at the position include fiive-star Georgia safety Caleb Downs, four-star Massachusetts safety Joenel Aguero and four-star Ohio safety Malik Hartford.