Ryan Day Says Offensive Tackle Phillip Daniels Will “Play A Lot” In Season Opener

During his weekly press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the battle at the right tackle position between Ethan Onianwa and Phillip Daniels is still ongoing.

“I think we’re going to kind of leave that towards the end of the week, and we’ll let the week play out and let these guys compete,” Day said of the position battle. “Certainly, Phil will play a lot, whether we rotate or not, we’ll decide.”

Although Daniels will be playing at the Big Ten level for the second year in a row after spending last year at Minnesota, it was Onianwa, the former transfer out of Rice, who, at the start of fall camp, many expected would be the starter.

At 6-7, 331, Onianwa not only has the frame but also the experience of a capable starter. After making 25 career starts at Rice, Onianwa was one of the first Buckeyes to have his black stripe removed in the spring, while Daniels had his black stripe removed in fall camp. Ultimately, though, Day’s comments seem to indicate that Daniels will be the one on the field for the majority of the team’s season-opening game against Texas.

“He’s had a really good preseason and he’s ready to play,” Day said of Daniels.