The 2026 college football season is right around the corner for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and fall practice opens this week with several starting lineup spots still to be determined. The Buckeyes need wide receiver help to emerge alongside Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss, but there’s a more compelling storyline to watch ahead of Ohio State’s Week 1 matchup against Ball State: the starting offensive line.

4 starters return, but the 5th spot is the key for the Buckeyes

Ohio State returns four starters along its offensive line, and the only loss was right guard Tegra Tshabola, who transferred to Kentucky. The Buckeyes know who four of their five offensive linemen are. The question is whether Ian Moore can win the starting left tackle job.

If Moore earns that spot, Ohio State could slide Austin Siereveld into a more natural position at right guard, allowing the Buckeyes to get their five best offensive linemen on the field together. That alignment would put Siereveld alongside Luke Montgomery and Carson Hinzman on the interior with Phillip Daniels at right tackle.

Moore played left tackle against Miami in the College Football Playoff last year after Siereveld went down with an injury, so there is a baseline of experience to evaluate. If Moore cannot show the ability to hold down the position, Ohio State would likely leave Siereveld at left tackle and bring in Gabe VanSickle at right guard to round out the starting five.

Strong offensive line play is non-negotiable for Ohio State’s 2026 goals

Returning four of five starters gives the Buckeyes one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country. The unit is expected to be strong regardless of who fills that fifth spot, but the ceiling of this group matters more than the floor.

Ohio State’s schedule demands it. Road games at Texas in Week 2, at USC, and at Indiana are all going to test the Buckeyes, and a veteran-led offensive line will need to step up in those environments. Quarterback Julian Sayin returns to throw the ball to Smith, and running back Bo Jackson is back in the backfield. The offensive line is the biggest key to allowing all of those skill players to reach their full potential in Columbus.

Ohio State’s offensive line played well for most of last season, but struggled against strong defensive fronts late in the year. Indiana in the Big Ten Championship and Miami in the College Football Playoff exposed the unit, and Sayin was sacked more in those games than at any other point during the year.

How that fifth spot shakes out in fall camp will go a long way toward determining what this team looks like when the schedule gets difficult in October and November.