A Look At Ohio State's 2026 Team Captains

Ohio State has seven team captains for their 2026 season. Four are on offense, and three are on defense. We take a look at the players and their careers up until now of these leaders in the Scarlet and Gray.

Jeremiah Smith

The best player in college football is now a captain for his Ohio State Buckeyes. Smith has been doing so much since day one as a Buckeye; it's ridiculous. In his first two seasons, he has had 163 catches for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also has nine rushes for 68 yards and two more touchdowns.

Smith will look to become a three-time All-American for Ohio State and has the best chance to win the Heisman for the Buckeyes. Jeremiah Smith is and has always been more concerned with winning football games for his team, and that's why he's a team captain this year.

Julian Sayin

It is a big deal when a player gets to wear the number of a legend who won the Heisman. So Julian Sayin being a team captain, wearing Troy Smith's #10, and being a Heisman contender himself is fitting. It's the 20th anniversary since Smith, who was an amazing team leader (who also had two big games against Texas) made that number what it is.

There's no turmoil regarding this Heisman-winning jersey number being worn again (hello LSU), just the determination to honor the excellence that goes along with it. Sayin has done that already and is poised to write a historic chapter all his own. Sayin has passed for 3,694 yards and 33 touchdowns so far at Ohio State.

Brandon Inniss

Announced at the same time as his captaincy is that Inniss will be this year's Block O recipient and wear the jersey number 0. Another special honor in wearing that jersey number, it would suggest that Inniss is likely to be the top guy in the contentious battle for being WR #2 on this team.

Inniss, Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd, Devin McCuin, and Kyle Parker have been working hard to secure that spot. Recognizing his leadership may indicate he has the inside track here. Inniss has 505 yards and five touchdowns in his career in the scarlet and gray.

Austin Siereveld

An anchor on the Buckeye offensive line, Austin Siereveld is being a team player in his likely move from tackle to guard. Siereveld, the pride of Liberty Township, Ohio, will make Ohio State have the best interior offensive line in college football. Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery, and Siereveld will have Bo Jackson and Legend Bey eating all year and keep Julian Sayin off the turf.

Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

Buckeye Nation is going to see Jackson do a lot this season. The senior from Florida is another player wearing a historical jersey number. A lot of great Buckeye players, particularly defensive players, have rocked #2. Caleb Downs added to that history in recent years, but Jackson is looking to follow in the footsteps of a player from year one of the Ryan Day Era, Chase Young.

I'm not saying Jackson will be an all-time great and rewrite the record books like Young did, but he'll have an all-Big Ten senior season like Caden Curry did last year. Jackson has 53 tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, and 9.5 sacks in his Buckeye career so far.

Jaylen McClain

McClain spent last season as the Padawan learner to the Jedi Master that is Caleb Downs. It's a tall order for anyone to fill Downs' shoes, but McClain won't let the safety play fall off this season. McClain being recognized as a captain and team leader shows just how much he's following in the footsteps of Downs.

The true junior has 68 tackles in his Buckeye career and has earned the captaincy over seniors like Earl Little Jr., Terry Moore, and Jermaine Mathews Jr. That alone speaks volumes about Jaylen McClain

Payton Pierce

Like McClain, Pierce leads another talented unit that's working to replace a legend. Pierce will work with fellow linebackers Riley Petijohn, Cincere Johnson, and Christian Alliegro to step into the shoes of first-round draft picks Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles. Pierce played alongside those two last year and has the most experience among Buckeye linebackers. The junior from Texas has 47 tackles at Ohio State

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