Ohio State will have a new starting right guard in 2026.
Tegra Tshabola, Ohio State’s starting right guard for the past two seasons, announced he would enter the transfer portal on Sunday.
Ohio State starting offensive guard Tegra Tshabola is entering the transfer portal, his agency @3strandsports tells me and @chris_hummer.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 4, 2026
The 6-foot-6, 320-pounder has been a starter the last two seasons for the Buckeyes and was an All-Big Ten honorable mention pick last season. pic.twitter.com/gr0XhmRH7K
Tshabola has one remaining year of collegiate eligibility.
A four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Tshabola became Ohio State’s starting right guard in 2024 and started all 16 games at the position for the Buckeyes during their national championship season.
Tshabola started all of Ohio State’s first 13 games in 2025, but was rotated out of the lineup for at least one drive in all but one game. He began the year rotating with Ethan Onianwa, then rotated with Joshua Padilla and Gabe VanSickle later in the season.
Had Tshabola stayed at Ohio State for 2026, he would have faced competition for his starting spot. Padilla and VanSickle are both candidates to be Ohio State’s starting right guard in 2026, while Ohio State could also consider the possibility of moving Austin Siereveld or Phillip Daniels to guard to move Ian Moore into the starting lineup at tackle.
The Buckeyes could also look for transfer portal upgrades along the offensive line after a disappointing end to the season, as Ohio State allowed 10 sacks while running for just 103 net yards in its losses to Indiana and Miami to close out the year.
Tshabola is the first Buckeye to enter the transfer portal this offseason who started for Ohio State in 2025. He’s the 17th overall portal entrant for the Buckeyes and the third offensive lineman, joining backups Deontae Armstrong and Isaiah Kema.
