I know, I know. It's way too early, the transfer portal situation needs to sort itself out, NFL draft decisions haven't been announced, and we need a new OC to figure out what we're going to do with the personnel. That said, I find these "way too early" looks at the depth chart a fun way of thinking about where our strengths and weaknesses will be if we don't address holes via player development or transfers. They may also explain why we're going after some players in the portal and not others... So without further ado, here are my casual outside thoughts on where the roster lines up right now.

* I put Siereveld here because his position is dependent on if Padilla or Daniels can develop into a competent right guard or if Ian Moore proves himself capable of seizing the RT position. Like Day, I believe that Austin is probably our best lineman and deserves to start regardless of the spot. My preference would be at G, which is his natural position, but his year out at LT could be helpful in allowing him to lock down the other edge if one of our younger guys really steps up in the interior. I added FB as a position because I do believe that our offensive coaching staff values a short yardage bruiser of a back to absorb some of the hits to RB1 and make the most of our goal line opportunities.

• Thoughts: We could have a ton of returning talent. We could theoretically return the entire starting lineup from this season nearly intact. The question is going to be if the underperforming elements can get fixed with the pieces we have or if we'll need to dip into the portal to upgrade.
• Biggest questions: Who will sit where along the offensive line? Who will emerge at Z receiver--will Porter bounce back from an injury-shortened season or will Henry Jr. prove to the world that the hype is real?

• Thoughts: Matty P is looking at an absolutely massive rebuild at all three levels of this defense, and I wouldn't be surprised if my prediction for the starting lineup is completely wrong once the portal / draft declaration season is over. There are a huge number of unknowns, but also a ton of potential among the younger guys.
• Biggest question: Really, who is playing where?! We know the defensive coaching staff is elite at developing talent, but we'll need to know just how elite. We could return as few as two starters depending on Kenyatta Jackson's draft decision. That said, I have faith in James Laurinaitis, Larry Johnson, OG Walt, and Matt Guerrieri as the best defensive position coaching group I've seen in recent Ohio State history. How aggressively we turn to the portal to fill out our defensive roster may hint at the answer to this question.

Your thoughts? Your questions?