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ATHENS, Ohio – In his first season with Ohio, graduate student center Nick Marinaro (Wayzata, Minn.) brings a wealth of experience and discipline to an offensive line that has seen success early in the season.  

Ohio's offensive line is almost an entirely new unit in 2025, with the only returning starter being team captain Davion Weatherspoon (Detroit, Mich.) and a new offensive line coach in Tavita Thompson. Marinaro joined the unit in June, having graduated from Dartmouth in May. In the middle of the line, doing the snapping for quarterback Parker Navarro (Tempe, Ariz.), Marinaro plays a big role in anchoring Ohio's offense.  

Similar to the offensive lines of the past at Ohio, this year's team features a group of players who are undersized and under-recruited – Marinaro is no exception. Coming out of high school, Marinaro didn't have any big-time offers but was thrilled to commit to Dartmouth for the perfect mix of athletics and academics. 

"I can't say enough about the guys who I'm playing next to right now," Marinaro said. "They're just tough dudes who love football, and that's what you want on an offensive line, I love that. Everybody's a little bit undersized or something like that. They had something to overcome, and it shows how much guys want it. You see that out there on the field.

Something that fuels the line, especially for Marinaro, is that Ohio head coach Brian Smith is a former center, a rarity in college football. 

"It's really cool that he (Smith) has that perspective, and he knows how hard the job is," Marinaro said. 

Though the offensive line is lucky to have Smith's knowledge of the position, Marinaro admits that your head coach being a former player at your position provides a bit of added pressure when out on the field. 

Being around former linemen is nothing new for Marinaro, however, as he comes from a lineage of football players who have played at different schools across the country. His uncle, Joe Marinaro, was an All-American offensive lineman with Michigan in the 90s. Additionally, his father, Mike, and brother Joe each played football at Boston College.

"Growing up, my dad would just tell us stories about, you know, the glory days and all that," Marinaro said. "He was a pretty darn good player himself at Boston College in the 90s. We watched his old film and just wanted to be like him one day." 

Now, for the first time in his career, Nick Marinaro is the only member of his family left playing football.  

"I'm really the last one in my family who's still playing," Marinaro said. "...(My family) is going to try to make it to every game they can. Everybody's cheering me on, calling me after the game, and it's a big deal for the family now that, you know, I'm kind of the last one going. It's cool just to give them something to be excited about."  

With Ohio, Marinaro is trying not only to make his family proud but also to show the fans and coaches at Ohio that he can be a championship player for a championship team. Though Marinaro wasn't with Ohio for the MAC Championship in 2024, he is a three-time Ivy League Champion who is just as motivated to get another MAC Championship trophy as the players who earned one last season.  

"I wanted to come to a good team. I've been lucky to be on some good teams in the past," Marinaro said. "I want to win another championship. Personally, I just want to have no regrets when I'm done with my football career. I've only got this one season left, and I want to go out there and show what I've got till the last minute." 

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