Every Friday, Buckeye Sports Bulletin will be taking some time to break down Ohio State’s recruiting class of 2024 on film to see what each prospect brings to Columbus. Reviews will take place in the order in which prospects verbally committed to the Buckeyes.
Entering his second year as Ohio State’s offensive line coach, Justin Frye is enjoying his first full recruiting cycle attracting offensive line prospects to Columbus. He started the class of 2024 off strong with the addition of New Palestine, Ind. four-star interior offensive lineman Ian Moore (6-5, 295), who issued his commitment to the Buckeyes on Oct. 20.
Moore likely projects as an offensive guard at the next level, but at 6-5 could factor in at offensive tackle as well. He was one of 11 offensive linemen named to the Indiana Football Coaches Association’s All-State Top 50, one of just two big-man movers from Class 4A or lower to make the list and one of just three juniors along the offensive line. He helped lead the New Palestine Dragons to a 12-1 record, getting off to a 12-0 start before losing in the quarterfinals of the Indiana state playoffs.
Let’s take a look at what stands out on film about Ian Moore. To view his full junior season highlights, which these clips were pulled from, visit here: https://www.hudl.com/video/3/15627246/638627b89675eb0ef09400ab.
This clip shows some of Moore’s best traits along the offensive line. For someone projected to play guard, playing tackle in a spread concept such as the play the Dragons run here gives Moore a chance to show off his athleticism.
What Moore executes is a picturesque kick-out block of an opposing defensive end to clear out a lane for his team’s wildcat quarterback. Blocks like this one require excellent lateral movement, hips and a certain comfort in space, and he’s able to turn his back to where the ball is going to open up the hole.
The 295-pounder’s legs also stay churning throughout, a sign of both good technique and good athletic abilities. He keeps a steady chop with his feet to finish many of his blocks on film.
Here we see another demonstration of Moore’s refined zone run blocking technique and lateral movement, as he overtakes a gentle combo block from his teammate (brief combo blocks such as this are a hallmark of zone blocking), sweeping around the opposing defensive tackle to place to again open a hole for a runner behind him.
The quickness with which Moore executes the technique and his punch at the point of attack are what make this block successful. He gets two lateral steps into the ground before the defender has taken his first two and bends to deliver a strike with perfect hand and helmet placement.
Once again, Moore keeps his feet in motion to finish the block, paving the way for what is practically a walk-in touchdown for New Palestine.
One area of Moore’s game that could use some development is his pass blocking. At the high school level he’s able to overwhelm pass rushers with his size, hips and lateral movement, but his form will need refining at Ohio State.
Linemen are always going to come up a little bit in their pass sets, but the way Moore almost stands straight up in his can create some issues against quality speed rushers, as a lower set would allow him to be more nimble and mirror his opponent’s movement better. In addition, he could shoot his hands into his opponent’s chest — rather than going around his sides — to keep separation, gain control and avoid potential holding calls. All these adjustments are easily fixable via coaching.
And, for the Dragons, Moore’s hips and quickness are such that he can recover on plays like this when a defensive end tries to bend around the edge.
No better way to cap this session of film review than with another road-grading zone run block from Moore that paves the way for a touchdown.
This is more a classic fire-off-the-ball power block from the lineman. He shoots inside with great pad level and explodes through the block to finish and clear the way for a touchdown jaunt with a pancake.
Overall, Moore brings a strong punch and drive to the guard position for Ohio State, and the lateral movement and hips he displays on film should make him both an excellent zone run blocker and fantastic interior pass protector, with proper development.
