Ohio State sophomore offensive lineman Dawand Jones (79) raises up his helmet before the Ohio State-Northwestern Big Ten championship game on Dec. 19. Ohio State won 22-10. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
When Dawand Jones visited prospective programs during the class of 2019 recruiting process, coaches asked him to tell them he loved football.
He couldn’t tell them because he said he didn’t love football entering his freshman season. He was a basketball player first, averaging a near double-double for Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, and said he was a much, much different person.
“I was for sure lazy, didn’t move well, just didn’t listen, not showing up on time. Just basic stuff, Jones said. “I felt like the whole O-line didn’t (trust me) and I felt like I let them down too much. I was like, ‘I got to turn it on. These guys are believing in me and they know I can do it.’”
Jones saw his classmates begin to get more playing time on the field. Then, Jones said one of the earliest breaking points for him came when he allowed a sack against Maryland in November 2019. He said he realized something needed to change.
Graduate offensive lineman Thayer Munford said he sat down with Jones this past offseason to talk about his unexpected return, and that if the younger Buckeye could prove he was serious about his dedication, perhaps he’d move to the interior of the offensive line to allow Jones a shot at a starting job outside.
And now, Munford said he’s seeing that change in Jones.
“I’m happy for him. I’m happy that he’s bringing juice,” Munford said. “I’m happy that he’s having the right mindset to help us win games and help us go against our defense and win the day. He’s quick, he has a big, huge frame, of course. He’s strong and powerful, too.”
The largest Buckeye on the roster — boasting a 7-foot-5 wingspan, standing 6-foot-8 and weighing almost 360 pounds — Jones has a clear size advantage over many opposing defenders.
Munford isn’t the only one seeing a change in Jones.
Sophomore offensive lineman Enokk Vimahi, who said he lived with Jones each of the last two years, said he’s amazed with how Jones can make a full-sized Gatorade bottle look like a six-ounce trinket in his hands.
But more importantly, Vimahi said he’s seen his former roommate really take in the coaching from offensive line coach Greg Studrawa and he’s grateful for the growth that’s blossomed into something special.
“That’s physical, mental, spiritual growth. He’s grown to be a young man to a man, honestly,” Vimahi said. “He’s coming out with that swagger, he comes out with the ferocity, he comes out with energy. He really is that Energizer Bunny for our unit. When he first came, he wasn’t like that. His energy really radiates along the unit.”
Jones’ new hunger is causing Studrawa to reconsider the offensive line configuration many expected to be anchored by Munford and junior Nicholas Petit-Frere at tackles. Now, Munford and Petit-Frere have practiced at left guard and tackle, respectively, with sophomore Paris Johnson Jr. working at right guard and Jones beside him.
Much of that shuffling may have to do with how quickly Jones has stepped up both in the film room and on the field, but Studrawa said Jones is a competitor at heart, and he wants to find a way to get the big man on the field.
“We could play ping pong and he’d get out here and play. He loves to play, but he never took football as serious as he took basketball, so it’s taken some time to develop that,” Studrawa said. “Now, his attention span is different, his attention to detail is different, his want to be great at football is totally different.”
Jones attributes much of his change to working with strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti, and said he’s lost 10 to 15 pounds since last summer.
Since he’s gotten more reps with the first team offensive line, Jones said it’s only made the chemistry within the room stronger. Petit-Frere said Jones’ energy rubs off on him, and Jones said he can only help but be himself.
But come time to suit up and show up, Jones can flip like a switch.
“When it’s time to go, I’m all locked in,” Jones said. “When it’s time to joke, we all laugh and play, but when we’re on the field, it’s time to go for me.”
Studrawa said he will play the best five along the offensive line, and it’s clear that Jones’ new approach is causing some rethinking. There’s no denying his size, either.
Jones said he still has his longstanding love for basketball — and assuredly said he’s the best player on the hardwood from the team — but football has grown on him.
“I’ll go around a corner and act like it’s a jump shot all the time still,” Jones said. “I can actually say I love football now. Like, this is my life. I have no choice but to go hard. I feel like if I don’t go hard, where am I going to be at? And so, football is my life.”
