Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State freshman explains life as a 6-foot-9 offensive lineman

Published Aug. 19, 2015 6:01 p.m. ET

Marcus Hartman

What is it like being 6-foot-9 on the offensive line? Ohio State true freshman Kevin Feder was happy to explain.

"My arm length is longer than a lot of guys I go up against, so I can do a better job of pushing them out and all that stuff, so there are a lot of advantages of being up high, too," Feder said. "Sometimes there's a disadvantage though, because of getting down low, but I’m already pretty good with leverage and all that stuff.”

Ah, yes, leverage. The key to success for linemen of all sizes. Being big and strong is great, but hardly any rule applies more rigidly than, "Low man wins," when it comes to football. So while there is an obsession these days with finding long, tall athletes, there has to be a limit, right?

Ohio State offensive line coach Ed Warinner indicated that is not necessarily true.

“Well when they’re that tall you better see if they can bend because they do have to bend to play with leverage and he can bend," Warinner said of Feder. "We knew that from him coming to camp last year. We knew he had athleticism and runs well and good knee bend and he's tough."

And he's a wrestler. Many a successful lineman -- offense and defense -- has looked back upon wrestling as a key part of his development as a football player, and that is true of Feder.

“That was actually a big part of my life because I was always too big to play football when I was little so I went to wrestling so I would always work on my footwork, my leverage, my speed and cardio and all that stuff," Feder said.

Football did not become a big part of his life until his sophomore year at New Jersey prep powerhouse Don Bosco Prep, at which point, "The wrestling aspect from past years, getting all that conditioning and bend and leverage against people, helped tremendously. Wrestling was an awesome experience and we had a great program for wrestling, so it was great."

Warinner is unlikely to call upon Feder's services this fall as he has seniors set to start at each tackle position (Taylor Decker and Chase Farris) and rising sophomore Jamarco Jones slated to back both of them up, but the coach said he has gotten good reviews from OSU trainers and seen positive early signs Feder might have what it takes to contribute down the line.

"They love him in the weight room," Warinner said. "He got an award this summer for maybe being the hardest working freshman. He loves to grind.”

For now, Feder is happy to work behind Decker -- no shrimp at 6-foot-8 and a relatively lean 315 pounds -- and learn more about the craft.

"Being behind Taylor Decker is just an awesome thing," Feder said. "Getting to see him match up against the scout team, just to see how he works because he’s going to be a high draft pick, it’s awesome to see a really experienced player and getting to work with him as a first-year guy is great for my development as an offensive tackle.”