Ian Moore’s temporary role as Ohio State’s top left tackle this spring could turn into a full-time starting job on the Buckeyes’ offensive line this fall.
Moore took over as Ohio State’s first-team left tackle midway through spring after Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels underwent minor surgeries that sidelined them for the rest of the spring. While Siereveld and Daniels are both returning starters from last season, Moore has performed well enough this spring to make his case that he should be one of the Buckeyes’ starting offensive tackles in 2026.
“Ian has done some really good things, so that's been great,” Ryan Day said Monday. “I think that he understands now going into this year, he's got some time under his belt here as a Buckeye, so we need him. We need him to step up in a big way for us. And I don't know exactly what the grades look like, but overall, he certainly has gotten better, and he's going to have an opportunity to play himself into a starter role here. Now whether he does and takes the next final step or two, we'll have to see, but he's certainly going to be in the conversation.”
Ryan Day said Ian Moore has "done some really good things" this spring and will "have an opportunity to play himself into a starter role" in 2026. pic.twitter.com/0fzsCsJAgl
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 13, 2026
Moore was Ohio State’s top backup tackle last season. He made one start at right tackle against Purdue when Daniels was sidelined by an injury, and played the second half of Ohio State’s College Football Playoff loss vs. Miami at left tackle after Siereveld exited with an injury. He performed well when called upon, allowing just one sack and no other quarterback pressures in 150 snaps as a redshirt freshman, according to Pro Football Focus.
He’s built momentum off of those strong showings this spring, showing his coaches and teammates that he’s ready to play a major role in his third year as a Buckeye.
“Ian's been doing an amazing job, tremendous job,” said Ohio State left guard Luke Montgomery. “He's very explosive off the ball, very strong and a smart dude. And what I like about him is he reminds me of me with the energy. He brings a lot of energy.”
While Siereveld is a lock to start somewhere along the offensive line this season, Ohio State’s starting left tackle from last season could potentially move back inside to guard – where he spent his two years as a Buckeye before moving to tackle last season – to fill the Buckeyes’ vacancy at right guard if Moore continues to show he’s ready to protect Julian Sayin’s blind side.
If Ohio State ultimately decides to keep Siereveld at left tackle after he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors there last season, Moore could still end up in the starting lineup at right tackle or even at guard. Daniels isn’t a sure bet to keep his starting job after he struggled in pass protection down the stretch of last season, while Moore has also cross-trained at guard, where other candidates to start alongside Montgomery and Carson Hinzman include Gabe VanSickle and Joshua Padilla.
In the end, Ohio State’s goal is to find the best possible combination of five offensive linemen to start up front, and Moore has seemingly done what he’s needed to do to tentatively put himself in that group right now.
“Ian's been stepping up, dude. It's fun to watch him starting to come into his own,” Hinzman said Wednesday. “Because in the weight room, he's like, insanely dominant, you know what I mean? So for him to start taking that weight room strength and start translating that to football strength is huge."
“He certainly has gotten better, and he’s going to have an opportunity to play himself into a starter role here. Now whether he does and takes the next final step or two, we’ll have to see, but he’s certainly going to be in the conversation.”– Ryan Day on Ian Moore’s performance this spring
Ohio State offensive line coach Tyler Bowen said Moore was “close” to being a starter for the Buckeyes last season and that he’s continued to improve this offseason.
“He was a guy that we counted on to be the first guy in the game (off the bench), and I think Ian's continued to make growth this offseason, and we've got to continue that through the summer and fall camp,” Bowen said.
Amid all of that praise, Moore is keeping his focus on where he still needs to improve. While Moore believes he is one of Ohio State’s five best offensive linemen and is working hard to prove that every day, he also knows the competition will continue throughout the summer and that he must continue to hone his craft to secure a starting job.
“I always like to think that I should be out there, but it doesn't matter if someone else makes a push during summer and I get worse,” Moore said. “So you can't really think you're the best, you just got to keep going out there and working.”
Getting to the precipice of earning a starting job hasn’t come easily for Moore. Thinking back to last spring, Moore said his mental health was “probably the lowest it's been in a minute” as he faced the challenge of competing for playing time for the first time after redshirting in 2024. But Moore said he started to find his confidence around the middle of last season, and that confidence has only continued to grow as he’s started winning more battles against Ohio State’s defensive line in practice.
“I think that we have the best defense in college football, and I believe that down to every fiber in my body. So every time I go out against somebody else, it's really, I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about practice tomorrow because I'm about to go against (Kenyatta Jackson Jr.), I'm about to go against (Beau Atkinson),” Moore said. “I mean, we’ve got coaches out here that are telling them to do stuff that I've never seen before. And you just got to adjust every day.”
Moore says he finds new things to work on in his game every day as he works toward being as prepared as possible for a potential starting job this season. But he’s also learned that when it’s time to take the field, his focus needs to be on just playing every play rather than nitpicking every mistake he makes.
“Everyone's always got micro things, but you also got to learn just to play football,” Moore said. “Like run off the ball, get off the ball, punch somebody, headbutt somebody, whatever it takes.”
Atkinson’s seen the benefits of that mental shift in Moore as he’s gone head-to-head with the Buckeyes’ current left tackle in practice.
“He's definitely been playing a lot more physical and attacking,” Atkinson said. “If you try to play passive, it just doesn't really go that well. So I think the confidence has been a huge help to him in trying to take that next step.”
