For at least the first day of preseason camp, Ohio State’s first-team offensive line looked like it was expected to look.
Ian Moore manned the left tackle position while Austin Siereveld, who started at left tackle in 2025, began camp at right guard. Left guard Luke Montgomery, center Carson Hinzman and right tackle Phillip Daniels all started camp in the same positions they played for the Buckeyes last season.
Ryan Day said after practice that Ohio State is “gonna try a couple different combinations” on the offensive line this spring, another of which is expected to include Joshua Padilla getting reps at right guard with Siereveld moving back to tackle. Ultimately, Day said, Ohio State’s objective is to determine the best five on the offensive line, with Daniels, Moore and Padilla all still competing to be part of that five alongside Siereveld, Montgomery and Hinzman.
That said, it’s been widely expected since spring that Siereveld – who was sidelined for the second half of spring due to a lower-body surgery – would move back to guard, the position he previously played in his first two years at Ohio State, if Moore continued to look the part of a starting left tackle. After one day of preseason camp, it only appears more likely that Siereveld will move back inside this season with Moore taking over as Julian Sayin’s blind-side protector.
Some more observations from Ohio State’s first practice of preseason camp, which was open to members of the media who cover Ohio State as well as fans who purchased tickets to attend practice:
West, Ja’Kobi Jackson lead the way at running back
While Bo Jackson was back on the field for Ohio State’s first practice of preseason camp after missing the spring due to shoulder surgery, he wasn’t the running back taking most of the reps behind the first-team offensive line.
Instead, it was fellow sophomore Isaiah West – who was also sidelined this spring due to shoulder surgery – and Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson who split carries alongside Julian Sayin and ran behind the likes of Montgomery, Hinzman and Siereveld. Bo Jackson spent most of the practice running with the second-team offense led by Tavien St. Clair.
Because Ohio State split its team into two practice groups to double the reps on day one, Day said the units were designated as Scarlet and Gray rather than ones and twos, so one shouldn’t necessarily read too much into which running backs repped with the first unit in terms of who will lead the depth chart when the games begin. That said, Day suggested that West’s presence on the offensive unit that included most of Ohio State’s projected starters was an earned reward for what he described as one of the best offseasons of any player on the team.
“When he was in there last year, he showed some real good things,” Day said of West. “So we want him to take the next step, just as we do Bo. But just Isaiah, one year in the program; by the way, when you have the injury like he had (a knee injury in high school), sometimes it takes a year or two to get back into it, and we're seeing him look the best physically he's looked. So that's exciting.”
The running back who stood out most to me on Thursday was Ja’Kobi Jackson, who broke off multiple long runs during team drills. As was the case in spring, Jackson was also a frequent target on check downs and screens in the passing game. The only one of Ohio State’s projected top-five running backs to have a full spring, the seventh-year senior continued to build momentum toward being a top-three RB for the Buckeyes this season, especially with Legend Bey suspended for the first two days of camp due to a violation of team rules.
Henry, McCuin make their case to start at wide receiver
At least for the first day of camp, the top two candidates to start at wide receiver alongside Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss this season appeared to be five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. and UTSA transfer Devin McCuin.
Those four receivers all rotated with each other on Thursday as the primary pass-catchers for Sayin during team drills. LSU transfer Kyle Parker and freshman Jerquaden Guilford also worked with Sayin’s unit, though Parker was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice.
Coming off a strong end to his first spring as a Buckeye, Henry continued to look the part on day one of preseason camp. He made a contested catch for a touchdown in 7-on-7 work and turned a slant over the middle for a long gain in team drills, showcasing his potential to use his size and speed to become a major weapon for Ohio State’s offense.
McCuin was also a playmaker throughout the practice, building off a strong spring where he showed plenty of speed and elusiveness that could help the Buckeyes achieve one of their primary goals for their receiver unit this season: Being more dynamic after the catch.
Ohio State’s other ballyhooed freshman receiver, Brock Boyd, worked primarily with St. Clair and the de facto second-team offense on day one of practice.
Kelly continues push at cornerback
On the defensive side of the ball, Dominick Kelly was another transfer who built off a strong spring on day one of preseason camp. Kelly took many of the cornerback reps with the first-team defense opposite Devin Sanchez, leading to questions after practice about whether he could challenge Jermaine Mathews Jr. for his starting job.
Sanchez said “I feel like we all know who it’s going to be” when asked about that competition, presumably referring to Mathews’ status as a returning starter, and Day said the Buckeyes were “just rolling guys,” while noting that they are looking to build depth and see if they have three cornerbacks who can play regularly while also creating flexibility at nickel.
Nevertheless, Kelly seems to be firming up his status as one of Ohio State’s top three cornerbacks and giving Tim Walton and Co. real reason to consider playing him regularly this season. That could lead to Mathews playing many of his snaps in the slot, though Ohio State is still considering several options at nickel, including Earl Little Jr. playing the position in three-safety lineups and/or freshman Jay Timmons playing slot corner in between Sanchez and Mathews and/or Kelly.
Additional notes
- Brandon Inniss, Brock Boyd, Phillip Bell and De’zie Jones all took reps at punt returner during the special teams portion of practice. Jeremiah Smith also stood with the punt returners, but did not take any reps.
- Former Ohio State defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who announced his retirement from the NFL last week, was on the field with Ohio State’s defensive line coaches on Thursday observing practice as he explores a potential career in coaching.
- Former Ohio State safety C.J. Barnett, who’s now the Buckeyes’ director of player development, was on the field repping as a scout-team receiver and defensive back during teach periods for the defense.
- Scouts from at least eight NFL teams, including the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders were in attendance.
