Ohio State Transfer Zen Michalski Needed a Change of Scenery. He Became Indiana's RT

As a 22-year-old fifth-year senior, Indiana offensive tackle Zen Michalski spent his offseason learning how to write, eat and hold his phone with his right hand.

He had no other choice.

"I really tried to activate the other side of my brain," Michalski said during fall camp. "Honestly, that stuff sounds dumb, but I think it helped me out a lot."

Apart from a brief stint at right tackle in the spring of 2023, Michalski has played left tackle nearly his entire career. He saw 259 snaps at left tackle for Ohio State the past four years, according to Pro Football Focus, and he solely blocked on the left side in high school.

The Hoosiers, however, will start Michalski at right tackle this season, pairing him with All-Big Ten left tackle Carter Smith as bookends on the offensive line.

When coach Curt Cignetti and offensive line coach Bob Bostad told Michalski of their plan to move him to the right side during his transfer portal recruiting process this spring, he jumped on board — but he knew he faced an extensive learning curve.

"After a certain amount of time, your body is programmed a certain way," Michalski said. "Your hips, your hands, your eyes, just the way you set, walk, and kind of do everything. It is technique based. It's kind of like, 'Okay, I have to relearn all of the little, basic things you might not have to be thinking about that I have been doing for four years.'"

While re-wiring his mind and body for everything from his initial punch and kick-slide to which hand he holds his phone, Michalski also had to learn Indiana's system and playbook. It resulted in a challenging spring, but one that drew high marks from Bostad.

And by the end of spring practice, Michalski's world, once turned upside down, suddenly became steady.

"It started to make more sense, started to feel more natural," Michalski said. "It's really just about reps, about getting out there and doing it as many times as you can against real guys and Mikail (Kamara). Just stacking reps."

Michalski carried his momentum into the summer. He performed drills on his own and with teammates, sometimes bringing defensive linemen or young offensive linemen to simulate pass-rush moves in one-on-one settings. He geared each day toward improving his muscle memory.

During the spring, Smith said Michalski is coachable — and Michalski absorbed lessons from Bostad, who he dubbed "amazing," to hasten his acclimation.

"I think with coach Bostad's coaching and the way he goes about stuff, he has made it very easy," Michalski said. "It's been a better transition than I thought it would be, especially after spring ball."

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Though it ended with a national championship, Michalski's final season at Ohio State didn't go according to plan from an individual performance perspective.

He entered as a backup to eventual first-round pick Josh Simmons, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 6. When his opportunity came, he struggled.

The 6-foot-6, 310-pound Michalski played 46 snaps in place of Simmons against Oregon, allowing three quarterback hurries in 30 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Ohio State stuck with Michalski in its following game against Nebraska, and he gave up four quarterback pressures — two hurries and two sacks — in his first career start.

Michalski suffered an undisclosed injury late in the fourth quarter of the Buckeyes' 21-17 victory over Nebraska. He was carted off the field and missed the remainder of the regular season, returning only for nine snaps at left tackle in Ohio State's first-round College Football Playoff win against Tennessee on Dec. 21.

By year's end, Michalski was ready for something new. And for the Floyds Knobs, Ind., native, that meant returning to the Hoosier state.

"I think a change of scenery was definitely something I needed," Michalski said. "When you are at a place for four years, I think that new coaches and new people, the environment, has been huge for me. It's been great. I just think I'm so blessed to be here."

Michalski enjoyed his time in Columbus, but after a lengthy, injury ravaged season, he felt he needed to be somewhere different.

"I just feel like it's with anything — you kind of get to a point you're like, 'Man, I just feel burned out,'" Michalski said. "You've done something so long in the same place (with) the same people — everything. Just a fresh start and something new was going to be good. I could kind of just feel it, especially after the season."

But as Michalski starts fresh, he carries with him lessons learned from Ohio State.

He played with four tackles who eventually became NFL draft picks in Simmons, 2023 first-round choice Paris Johnson, 2022 third-rounder Nicholas Petit-Frere and 2022 seventh-round selection Thayer Munford.

Michalski is good friends with Simmons — they spoke the morning of Michalski's media availability — and he grew particularly close to Johnson. The two were hotel roommates and still talk often.

Johnson, Simmons and the rest of Ohio State's professional-caliber offensive tackles taught Michalski several valuable lessons.

"Paris was a big mentor to me my first two years, kind of just seeing how he prepared for games," Michalski said. "And just having a mindset of, 'You need to be on your stuff every day, you need to be ready to go dominate the day. There's no days off.' And being a tackle in an offense, you are one of the biggest parts of the offense.

"If the tackles aren't able to protect the quarterback, not able to do our job, the offense is going to have a hard day."

Indiana's offense often succeeded in 2024, ranking second in the FBS with 41.3 points per game. The Hoosiers have several new faces offensively, headlined by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, center Pat Coogan and running back Roman Hemby.

Michalski has to fill the shoes of the 6-foot-7, 319-pound Trey Wedig, who started all 13 games at right tackle last season and spent this offseason with the Los Angeles Rams.

Smith, who touted Michalski's length, pass protection and vocal presence, is confident Michalski will deliver.

"He's taking Bostad's coaching really well," Smith said. "And I think he's meshing with the guys well, too. So, I think wherever he's going to be playing, he's going to be doing pretty well."