The Ohio State football recruiting class of 2023 is complete and despite some murmurs of negativity in the crowd, this class is fantastic from top to bottom. One of the studs of this class is a four-star interior offensive lineman from their own backyard in Joshua Padilla from Wayne High School in Dayton, Ohio.
Padilla is regarded as a top 230 recruit in the country and a top 15 interior offensive lineman in this class. Padilla will have an uphill battle to see the field early in his Buckeye career with Donovan Jackson, Jakob James, and Matthew Jones etched as likely starters on the interior this season, but he has some intriguing potential.
Name: Joshua Padilla
High School: Wayne (Dayton, OH)
Height: 6-feet, 4-inches
Weight: 280 pounds
4-Star Interior Offensive Line
Strengths
Breaking It All Down
Joshua Padilla is a player with a ton of potential and looks the part of a Big Ten interior offensive lineman. He finds joy in punishing defenders as he consistently stays with his blocks aggressively and finishes them off until the whistle blows. Padilla is also much farther along as a pass protector than most linemen coming in.
Thomas Collins vs. Josh Padilla: pic.twitter.com/S1a8Qjt2St
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 8, 2021
Weaknesses
Breaking It All Down
Despite playing offensive tackle at Wayne, Padilla does not project well at tackle in the Big Ten and his likely best fit will be at guard. He does a good job of physically overwhelming defenders, but he will need to get bigger and stronger to continue to play his preferred style in the Big Ten.
Hero Kanu puts his strength on display against Josh Padilla here: pic.twitter.com/0Qg501qYRB
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 8, 2021
Comparison: Joe Staysniak
Good Buckeye Morning Ohio State Fans, especially to Joe Staysniak, only 79 days until That Team Up North! #GoBucks #TheGame pic.twitter.com/sLfmy7kLzO
— Tom Adelsberg (@ShhhTAdelsberg) September 8, 2022
Breaking It All Down
Joe Staysniak isn’t one of the most recognizable names in Ohio State history, but he was a four-year starter after receiving a redshirt his first year on campus and was a team captain. Staysniak was a starter at offensive tackle, but like Padilla played with great intelligence and footwork. Staysniak improved vastly in his strength throughout his college career much like Padilla will have to in order to thrive truly. Still, it would not be shocking to see Padilla as a multiple-year starter for Ohio State.
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