Strong leadership will be as important as it’s ever been for Ohio State football in 2026.
More than half of the players on Ohio State’s 2026 roster weren’t on the team last year, as the Buckeyes have added 60 new players this offseason between transfer additions, their freshman class and walk-ons. As such, Ohio State is relying on its leaders to bring the team together as it builds chemistry for the upcoming season.
Ohio State’s newcomers include plenty of experienced veterans capable of providing leadership themselves, and the Buckeyes expect more than just their returning veterans to be leaders this fall.
“A big motto this year for us is you could lead no matter what,” Ohio State left guard Luke Montgomery said this offseason. “You could be a freshman, you could 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.”
That said, the players who will provide the most leadership for the Buckeyes this fall are likely those who’ve been around the program for multiple years and have a full, well-developed understanding of what it means to be a Buckeye and play for the Buckeyes in big games.
Ohio State lost some major leaders from last season, namely linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs, who were not only two of the biggest stars of Ohio State’s defense but also considered the Buckeyes’ top two leaders in 2025. Other veterans who leave big shoes to fill include wide receiver Carnell Tate, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, defensive end Caden Curry, linebacker Arvell Reese, cornerback Davison Igbinosun and safety Lorenzo Styles Jr.
Fortunately, even with all of this offseason’s roster turnover, Ohio State still has a sizable group of established veterans who have emerged as leaders through their work ethic, vocal presences and play on the field.
In particular, the following 10 Ohio State players – all of whom are in at least their third year with the team – stand out as players who should be top leaders for the Buckeyes in 2026, meaning they’ll all play a significant role in keeping the team together when adversity strikes and pushing the team forward in its pursuit of its championship goals.
WR Brandon Inniss
LT/RG Austin Siereveld
We’ll start with the two most obvious candidates. Inniss and Siereveld were both already captains for Ohio State last season, so it’s likely they’ll remain captains and primary leaders for the Buckeyes in 2026.
Inniss’ on-field performance didn’t meet expectations last season as he caught only 36 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns, but his competitiveness, vocal leadership and work ethic were never questioned. His standing as a leader has only grown stronger this offseason as he was one of four players to earn Iron Buckeye honors during winter workouts – an honor he earned in part because he turned down an invitation to join the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer to focus on getting better.
“In the offseason, that was my number one goal was to be an Iron Buckeye. I got an opportunity to go on the Buckeye Cruise, but there's a rule: if you go on the Buckeye Cruise, you can't be an Iron Buckeye. And I was solely focused on being Iron Buckeye, being one of the hardest workers on the team, and I'm glad that I was able to hit that goal,” Inniss said in March.
“We have a lot of new guys, and a captain last year doesn't mean anything to the new guys, honestly. So I wanted them to know how hard I work, and that comes with being an Iron Buckeye.”
While Inniss has been a vocal presence throughout his Ohio State career, Siereveld’s rise to captaincy last offseason was less foreseen, as he wasn’t known for being particularly talkative – at least in media interviews. But Siereveld emerged as one of Ohio State’s best leaders behind the scenes last summer, then backed it up with his play, earning All-Big Ten honors as the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle.
Entering preseason camp, it’s uncertain where exactly Siereveld will line up this season, as the Buckeyes are weighing the possibility of moving him back inside to guard – the position he started his Ohio State career playing – to fill their vacancy at right guard with Ian Moore emerging as a viable starting option at left tackle. No matter where Siereveld lines up this fall, though, he’ll unquestionably be a leader for Ohio State’s offensive line, offense and team as a whole.
QB Julian Sayin
Because of the position he plays, no Buckeye bears more responsibility to be a leader than Sayin. Now entering his second year as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, Sayin is embracing that responsibility, particularly in terms of building connections with his new teammates this offseason.
“You really have to take control of those guys, and it starts with the connection,” Sayin said this spring when talking about his growth as a leader. “You have to be a great teammate, and you have to get to know these guys, and so I think it's been fun this spring to get to know those guys.”
While Sayin isn’t known to be outspoken, he proved last season that he can be a leader on the field and has looked even more comfortable in that role this offseason as Ryan Day and Mickey Marotti challenged him to grow in his leadership. Sayin’s recent selection as one of Ohio State’s Big Ten Media Days representatives for later this month only solidifies his standing as one of the faces of the program.
Day said this spring that he’s still looking for more from Sayin in terms of how he commands the offense, but he believes Sayin’s made good strides in that area this offseason.
“You do feel a lot of progress being made, in the huddle in particular, the way that he can get us in and out of plays, the way he operates the offense, the way he communicates in the huddle at the line of scrimmage is excellent,” Day said. “But we always want more. So we're always going to keep driving at it, because there's so many more things that we got to get better at. But there's definitely improvement each practice.”
WR Jeremiah Smith
No one on Ohio State’s roster does a better job of leading by example than Smith.
As the best receiver in college football, Smith has a gravitational pull that makes people want to follow his lead just because of how spectacular a player he is. But he also sets the tone for the Buckeyes by being the team’s hardest worker, as evidenced by his four Iron Buckeye selections in three years.
“I'm still the hardest-working person on the team. All the accolades and stuff I’ve got, I’ve still got a mentality that I'm going to always be the hardest-working player on my team,” Smith said this spring. “In high school, I was the hardest-working player on my team, and in the NFL, I'm gonna be the hardest-working player on the team. … That's the only thing I know how to do is work hard.”
Much like former Ohio State star Marvin Harrison Jr., Smith is known for being a quiet worker, so Ohio State’s coaches are pushing him to use his voice more this year, and Day said he saw that from Smith this spring. But even though he’s unlikely to be one of Ohio State’s top vocal leaders, he’s unquestionably one of the team’s best leaders by example, as he has been since he was a freshman.
“Jeremiah is sort of a man of few words, but he's found his voice more and more, and I've noticed the last few practices, even when the twos and the threes are in there, he's near the huddle, he's listening to the call, he's encouraging them, he's coaching them, he’s there,” Day said in April. “Leaders have to be felt, leaders have to be heard, and that's just how it goes, and he's making a conscious effort to do that, and I think the guys see that.
“What he's always done since he stepped in this building is he's practiced really hard and set an example of discipline and how you practice, and when your best players are your hardest workers, it gives you a chance to build a culture. He's done that, for sure, like with a giant check mark from the day he walked in until just his practice today. I think where he's really working on is being felt and heard in terms of encouraging guys, pushing guys, being that leader, and having an impact and having a connection with the guys, and he's definitely made an effort. You can see it, and we're gonna need that.”
“When your best players are your hardest workers, it gives you a chance to build a culture. He's done that, for sure, like with a giant check mark.”– Ryan Day on Jeremiah Smith’s leadership
LG Luke Montgomery
C Carson Hinzman
Siereveld is far from the only veteran leader on Ohio State’s offensive line. Montgomery and Hinzman are the most naturally vocal members of the unit and two of the most outgoing personalities on the entire team.
Both of them were already burgeoning leaders for the Buckeyes last season, but they’ll play even bigger roles in that regard this season as Montgomery enters his second year as a full-time starter as a fourth-year senior while Hinzman is in his third year as a full-time starter as a fifth-year senior.
As Ohio State’s offensive line looks to bounce back from a rough end to last season and go from a weakness to a strength for the Buckeyes this season, Montgomery and Hinzman will play a crucial role in pushing the unit – as well as the entire offense – forward as two of the team’s most experienced returning starters, as well as being players who are known for speaking up and bringing positivity to their teammates.
“I feel like a great leader. And I think we got a lot of leaders, too,” Montgomery said. “So I'm super excited for this year. It's gonna be a lot of fun.”
DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
Assuming Ohio State will want to have at least one captain on the defensive side of the ball, Jackson is one of the leading candidates for that role. Perhaps tellingly, Jackson was the only defensive player to meet with the media twice this spring, both times in press conference settings alongside Sayin, suggesting that Ohio State views him as a face and leading representative of its defense.
Jackson didn’t always want to be a leader; when he was initially challenged to become the leader of Ohio State’s defensive line last offseason, Jackson said there were days when he went home and cried because he was overwhelmed by the responsibility. But after emerging as a leader of his unit alongside Curry and McDonald last year, he’s feeling more confident in that role now, even though he acknowledges he’s not the most naturally talkative person.
“I'm pretty comfortable,” Jackson said of his leadership role. “I mean, it's still hard. I mean, you've got 51 new players (this spring) … it's pretty hard, but I mean, I'm pretty comfortable. I've been here for a very long time.”
S Jaylen McClain
Another prime candidate to be a top leader for Ohio State’s defense this season is McClain. He was also among the Buckeyes who earned Iron Buckeye honors this winter – the second consecutive time he received that award after also earning it last summer – and was selected as Ohio State’s lone defensive representative for Big Ten Media Days.
While Ohio State’s coaches made it clear this spring that they don’t expect any one player to singlehandedly fill the massive shoes left behind by Downs, they are expecting McClain to step up as a communicator on the back end of the defense as the Buckeyes’ only returning starter at safety from last season.
That’s a challenge McClain has responded to, according to his teammates. Ohio State cornerback Devin Sanchez identified McClain this spring as the defensive back who has stepped up most as a leader this offseason, though he said Florida State transfer Earl Little Jr. is providing leadership at safety as well.
“Jaylen is being real vocal out there. He's talking, he's leading the secondary. If somebody messes up on the coverage, he makes them right,” Sanchez said. “So I feel like it is definitely Jaylen McClain, but Earl Little is definitely that, too. He comes down, he sets the tone, he'll go smack a running back right in the face, and then he'll just come back and talk and he'll let you hear it. So I feel like it's both safeties.”
CB Jermaine Mathews Jr.
The other of Ohio State’s three returning starters on defense, Mathews will also be counted on to provide leadership in the secondary – especially from a vocal standpoint.
When Inniss was named as a captain last season, he identified Mathews as “the guy that wasn't named captain that has tremendous energy,” saying he and Mathews feed off of each other. Much like Inniss, Mathews is always seen bringing energy whether he’s in the game covering opposing receivers or hyping up his teammates on the sideline.
After Day identified Igbinosun last year as the player who “changed the culture of our secondary,” Ohio State is counting on Mathews as a senior leader this season to maintain the Buckeyes’ standard of competitiveness at the cornerback position. Mathews knows he’s now the player that the other players in the cornerback room are looking up to, and he’s embracing that platform.
“(Igbinosun) definitely came and changed the room. The room wasn't what it is now about four years ago. So I think now, for me, it's just upholding the standard,” Mathews said. “I think just making sure the young guys understand what the standard is here for us and just keep it going.”
LB Payton Pierce
Unlike the other nine players on this list, Pierce isn’t a returning starter from last season. Nevertheless, he appears well on his way to emerging as one of Ohio State’s top defensive leaders this season.
As Ohio State’s new starting middle linebacker, Pierce is set to play a position that naturally produces leaders; dating back to 2014, an Ohio State linebacker has been one of the Buckeyes’ team captains for 12 straight seasons. And Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, a two-time former Ohio State captain himself, has repeatedly talked up Pierce as a player with the qualities to be a leader of the Buckeye defense.
“The thing that's great about Payton is he's so competitive and he's a perfectionist and all those things as you should be as a Mike,” Laurinaitis said. “Honestly, I think he has pushed the guys in front of him (in past seasons) because of how hard he practices. He earned the respect of everybody right away freshman year with how physical he was in the box. And now it's fun to kind of see him find his voice even more.”
Pierce says he’s viewed himself as a leader since he was a two-time captain in high school, but feels fully ready to step into a leadership role now after two years of learning behind former captains Cody Simon and Sonny Styles, among others.
“I've gotten to step up a lot more, more vocal,” Pierce said this spring. “I mean, I got to learn from so many great people. And even our coaches are great leaders. So I get to be around the best of the best, and I feel like I've done a pretty good job. I got to get better, obviously, and just keep doing it.”
