Ohio State’s offensive line is back to full strength after an injury-plagued spring.
The Buckeyes were shorthanded in the trenches for the second half of the spring after Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels, last year’s starting offensive tackles, both underwent lower-body surgeries. Joshua Padilla, a contender for the starting job at right guard, was also sidelined by an undisclosed injury this spring. Jake Cook, a top backup on the interior offensive line, had his spring shortened by injury as well.
All of those Buckeyes are back on the field now as Ohio State goes through summer workouts, according to left guard Luke Montgomery.
“It's great to have the guys back. Everyone's back and healthy,” Montgomery said this week during an interview at the Memorial Tournament. “It's fun to see the guys moving around. They got fresh legs now, so they should be good to go.”
Given the injuries they dealt with this spring, there might not be any Ohio State position group that needs a strong summer more than the offensive line. Montgomery and his teammates are hungry to make up for how they ended last season, when they allowed five sacks in each of Ohio State’s final two games, a Big Ten Championship Game loss to Indiana and a College Football Playoff loss to Miami.
“We don't want to repeat history in that matter from last year,” Montgomery said. “When adversity hits, you learn a lot about yourself, and we learned a lot about where we're at and what we've got to grow and become for this upcoming season.”
The good news for the Buckeyes is they have plenty of returning experience in the trenches. Siereveld, Montgomery, center Carson Hinzman and Daniels are all back from last year’s starting lineup. Gabe VanSickle started at right guard in the Cotton Bowl, while Ian Moore played the second half of the Cotton Bowl at left tackle after Siereveld left that game with an injury.
Montgomery, Siereveld and Hinzman were all potential 2026 NFL draft picks if they chose to go pro, but each of them chose to stay at Ohio State for another year looking to finish their Buckeye careers on a better note.
“It's super valuable,” Montgomery said of the offensive line’s experience. “Having all the guys come back, it means a lot. Some of the guys could have left for the draft. And for all of us to come back, we know what the real goal is this year and what we've got to accomplish and stuff like that, it's going to be a lot of fun.”
“We don't want to repeat history in that matter from last year.” – Luke Montgomery on the offensive line’s struggles to end 2025
They’re part of an offense that returns eight total starters from last season – also including quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss and running back Bo Jackson – and Montgomery believes their collective experience will go a long way for the offense to elevate its game this season after scoring only 24 points in the final two games of last year.
“When you’ve been in it, it's a lot different,” Montgomery said. “When you're young and you haven't played in a certain game like the team up north game and stuff like that, it's different. It's hard to explain. But for those guys to have that opportunity to play in those games at a young age and stuff like that, they obviously grow and mature overnight and stuff like that, and it's been a lot of fun to see where they are now and where they're going to be at.”
What exactly Ohio State’s lineup will look like in the trenches is still to be determined during preseason camp. Montgomery and Hinzman are locked in as Ohio State’s starting left guard and center, but a strong spring from Moore at left tackle opened up the possibility of Siereveld moving to right guard. If Siereveld stays at left tackle, Moore could challenge Daniels at right tackle, while VanSickle and Padilla are each candidates to start at RG.
Summer workouts can only tell the Buckeyes so much about their offensive line, as the real tests won’t resume until they start padded practices in August. That said, Montgomery believes the next couple of months are important for the Buckeyes to get themselves ready for the season and continue to build chemistry with each other.
“We've got a lot to do this summer, a lot of workouts and stuff like that, but we've got to be in great shape when it comes to game time,” Montgomery said. “So that's what we're here for, and to continue to grow the culture and have a lot of fun with the guys.”
While the Buckeyes return nearly their entire offensive line from last season, the rest of the team around them has changed significantly, with 51 new players joining the team. But now that the Buckeyes old and new have gone through winter workouts, spring practices and are in the thick of summer workouts together, Montgomery feels good about how they’ve come together as a team.
“Light years ahead,” Montgomery said when asked how much closer the Buckeyes are as a team now than they were in January. “I've gotten super close with a lot of the guys, a lot of guys that are new, and I respect the heck out of them. A lot of these guys that came in, maybe not freshmen, but the transfers, they've experienced and been in big games. So I'm super excited to play with all the guys. It'll be a lot of fun.”
Now that he’s a senior, Montgomery is playing a leading role in bringing the team together, a role he’s embracing. But he also sees many other leaders emerging around him.
“I feel like a great leader. And I think we got a lot of leaders, too,” Montgomery said. “A big motto this year for us is you can lead no matter what. You can be a freshman, you can lead. We need leaders and we need people to rise to the occasion in the big moments and stuff like that. It doesn't matter who you are. But we have a team full of leaders and a team full of a lot of experience, so I'm super excited for this year. It's gonna be a lot of fun.”
While the Buckeyes are working hard this summer to ensure they’re ready for a tough regular-season schedule and the pursuit of another national championship, Montgomery enjoyed taking a break this week with a trip to the Memorial Tournament, where he participated in a football clinic alongside seven of his Ohio State teammates and this year’s Golden Cubs, a group of current and former Nationwide Children’s Hospital patients who have battled serious illnesses or injuries.
“I love it,” Montgomery said of going to the Memorial Tournament. “It's really cool to see the pro guys and the pro-am and just the people that contributed to this. I think this would be another major in my books, I think it is. It's just really cool to see all the people that come out and support just Columbus and the area and this beautiful course.”
