Doug Datish attended Howland High School in Warren, Ohio where he played football and basketball as a freshman. After his freshman season, Doug gave up basketball to concentrate on football. He played both offense and defense and was named first team all-Ohio and division defensive player of the year as a senior. Doug was considered to be one of the top offensive lineman prospects in the nation. He accepted a scholarship to Ohio State where he sat out the 2002 season as a redshirt. The following year, Datish saw action in four games, primarily on special teams. He was moved to center the final week of spring practices and went on to start 9 of 12 games as a sophomore (8 games at guard, 1 at center). As a junior, Doug moved to tackle, while Rob Sims moved inside to play guard. Doug went on to start all 11 games at tackle that season. Following his junior season, Datish was forced to have offseason shoulder surgery which caused him to miss spring practices. As a senior, Doug moved to center to replace the departed Nick Mangold who is now with the New York Jets.

Doug Datish is a versatile player with a good deal of experience. He has started at tackle, guard and center during his time at Ohio State. He is an intelligent player and an extremely hard worker. He has the “mean streak” you like to see in an offensive lineman. He is a quick, athletic lineman who is able to pull and hit moving targets. His athleticism allows him to get to the second level in the running game. He displays good overall technique and he does a good job of finishing his blocks. Datish isn’t very strong at the point of attack and he needs to work on getting better leverage on his opponents. He would benefit from bulking up and increasing his strength and he does have the frame in which to do so. Doug Datish is a versatile player who has started all along the offensive line. He lacks the size and long arms to be a successful tackle at the next level. His best position is most likely going to be center in the NFL. If he can get bigger and stronger he could develop into a starting center at the professional level. He should be a second day pick in the 2007 NFL draft.