Ohio State football’s biggest question mark entering 2026 is one the Buckeyes need to play out during the summer
Ohio State is going to have big expectations in 2026 with Jeremiah Smith entering his junior season and Julian Sayin back for a second year. There’s still one big questioned that needs answered about this Buckeyes team.
The Ohio State football program finished spring practice a couple of weeks ago and now the coaching staff is on the road recruiting. Summer workouts will begin again soon for Ohio State and fall camp is right around the corner.
Ohio State has a tough schedule ahead this season with road games against teams like Texas, Oregon, and USC to name a few. The Buckeyes have the matchup with the Longhorns in Week 2 of the season, and it’s going to be important not to come out sluggish.
There needs to be a good idea heading into fall camp on what the offensive line is going to look like. Ohio State has had spring ball and will have summer workouts to get as much of an idea as they can before fall camp.
Ohio State’s offensive line question is its biggest question mark
The end of the spring finished up with last year’s starting offensive tackles Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels both healing from offseason surgeries. Ohio State played Ian Moore and Carter Lowe in their spots, and Moore has a chance to keep the spot in 2026. If Moore proves he can be a starter in his third season, it opens the door for the Buckeyes to move Siereveld back to guard.
Ohio State didn’t have another suitable option at left tackle in 2025 and it forced them to put Siereveld there after he was a guard previously. If the senior doesn’t move to right guard, then it would be Joshua Padilla or Gabe VanSickle manning the spot. Both players saw playing time as depth last year and VanSickle made a start in the College Football Playoff against Miami.
Getting the best five offensive linemen on the field is the mission of the Buckeyes and it would be the best-case scenario if Moore is ready to take the step. He looked the part in the spring at 6-foot-6, 312 pounds, and a strong summer could secure the job.
Ohio State is a stronger unit if they can have three upperclassmen on the interior between Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, and Siereveld. Getting the answer on whether or not that’s going to be the case is the single biggest thing Ohio State has to figure out for the 2026 team.
