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There’s no question that Luke Montgomery benefitted from an expanded College Football Playoff. Had Ohio State only played one more game following the loss to Michigan in November, Montgomery likely wouldn’t have quite as much momentum heading into
this season as he does after playing a key role on the offensive line during the four-game title run for the Buckeyes.
Originally it was thought that Montgomery would be the one to step in for Donovan Jackson early in the season at left guard after Jackson wasn’t able to play in the first two games due to injury. Instead, Austin Siereveld was the lineman who started for Jackson early on in the season.
Montgomery was used sparingly through the first 12 games of the year, only recording 77 snaps on the field during the regular season. Despite not playing as much as he would have liked to, Montgomery made sure to stay ready for when his number was called.
Following the embarrassing loss to Michigan, the Ohio State offense knew something had to change if the Buckeyes were going to be a serious threat in the College Football Playoff. Enter Luke Montgomery. The Findlay native teamed with Siereveld and Tegra Tshabola to rotate among the two guard spots on the interior of the offensive line.
By the Cotton Bowl, Montgomery was named the starter at left guard and played all 60 offensive snaps in the game. Montgomery would follow his Cotton Bowl performance up by logging 64 snaps in the National Championship Game against Notre Dame.
Montgomery was part of Ohio State’s 2023 recruiting class, coming to Columbus as the top player in Ohio. Along with being the top recruit in the state, Montgomery was also a top-five offensive tackle recruit nationally. Even though Montgomery was a tackle coming out of high school, he has shown he has the ability to play any position on the offensive line.
Along with starting the final two games of the season at guard last season, Montgomery has also been working at center in practice the last couple seasons just in case he needs to slide over to the position due to an emergency.
One of the main reasons Montgomery feels like he was able to step in during the playoff and the Ohio State offense didn’t miss a beat was because he was able to go up against the best defense in the country in practice. Matching up with guys like Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, and Tyleik Williams allowed for Montgomery to not be flustered by what the defensive lines of Texas and Notre Dame threw at him during his two starts to close out the season.
After working with Justin Frye in his first two years at Ohio State, Montgomery is already impressing new offensive line coach Tyler Bowen. What has impressed Bowen most about Montgomery is the physicality the 6-5, 312 pound lineman shows.
As Buckeye fans see more of Montgomery on the field, they are likely going to fall in love with the mean streak that the guard brings to the table.
What is most refreshing about Montgomery is how much he enjoys the process of not only growing as an individual player, but improving with his line mates. Right now Montgomery knows the Ohio State offensive line is a work in progress, but they don’t have to be perfect at the start of the season.
What matters most is where they are as a group when games in November, December, and January hit. Last season was the perfect example, since injuries drastically changed what the line looked like from where they were when the season opened against Akron to how they lined up once the playoff started in December.
The Buckeye offensive line has a number of starters from last year’s team returning, but the one with the most upside could be Luke Montgomery, who is coming into his own after ending last season on a high note. When his Ohio State career wraps up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Montgomery becoming the next in a long line of Buckeye offensive line who go on to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.
