Former Ohio State OL Ben Christman transfers to Kentucky
COLUMBUS — Former Ohio State offensive lineman Ben Christman is off to the SEC. Christman announced his transfer to Kentucky Sunday.
The third-year O-Lineman played just nine offensive snaps with the Buckeyes, all last season late in a blowout victory over Indiana on Nov. 12, according to Pro Football Focus.
Christman is the third Buckeyes spring window transfer to find a new destination. Also last week, former Ohio State wide receivers Kaleb Brown and Caleb Burton committed to Iowa and Auburn, respectively.
Only one other Buckeyes scholarship player entered the transfer portal this spring, and that’s place kicker Jake Seibert, who is still searching for his next destination.
As for Christman, the 6-foot-6, 315-pound Akron native played significant snaps during this year’s spring game. He began the exhibition as Ohio State’s second-team left guard.
Guard was the only position on the Buckeyes’ offensive line that returned both of its starters from last year: Donovan Jackson on the left side, and Matthew Jones on the right side.
Despite his tackle-like frame, Christman’s natural position has been guard, where he thrived as a four-star prospect from Richfield (Ohio) Revere. In fact, Christman was the No. 8 interior O-Linemen in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
It didn’t take Christman too long to make an impression on the Buckeyes staff upon arriving in Columbus. He shed his black stripe in November 2021, about three months into the freshman season that he ended up redshirting.
But, aside from his mop-up appearance against Indiana last season, he didn’t see the field in an Ohio State uniform.
On the flip side, the Buckeyes added a transfer offensive lineman in the spring window: third-year offensive tackle Josh Simmons from San Diego State. Like Christman, Simmons was a four-star prospect in the Class of 2021, except he hails from La Mesa, California.
Simmons was San Diego State’s starting right tackle last season. It appears as if he’ll be in the mix for that position at Ohio State, joining in on the competition with Zen Michalski and Tegra Tshabola — third and second-year O-Linemen who were reserves at left tackle and right guard last season, respectively.
In the winter transfer window, the Buckeyes brought aboard interior offensive lineman Victor Cutler Jr. from Louisiana-Monroe, where he started games at center, right tackle and left tackle. He played mostly center during spring ball and was at the heart of the second-team O-Line in the April’s spring game.
Offensive line is the biggest question mark of any Buckeyes position group this year, as Ohio State is replacing three starters up front, all of whom were drafted into the NFL.
Christman officially won’t be part of that solution, though. He’s moving on to Kentucky.
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