Ohio State Buckeyes left guard Luke Montgomery shared a promising update on the offensive line's mindset heading into the 2026 season after disappointing performances in the Big Ten Championship Game loss against the Indiana Hoosiers and in a season-ending loss to the Miami Hurricanes in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
As Montgomery described, the Buckeyes' offensive trenches have guilt about how things went down and are not looking to have it repeated in 2026. Per Montgomery, “It’s great to have the guys back. Everyone is back and healthy. It’s fun to see the guys moving around. They’ve got fresh legs now, so they should be good to go ... We don’t want to repeat history in that matter from last year. When adversity hits, you learn a lot about yourself and stuff like that. We learned a lot about where we’re at where we’ve got to grow… for this upcoming season.”
There's been some shuffling around the line, with Ian Moore moving into a somewhat permanent starting left tackle position and Austin Siereveld moving back inside to the interior, where he does his best work. Montgomery himself has moved from the tackle spot. In high school, Montgomery was a tight end and a defensive end, so switching positions is common.
Tyler Bowen and Co. just need to make sure that this group is dynamic enough to make adjustments mid-season, if needed. Switching Siereveld from the blindside spot before getting crushed by Miami's edge-rushers could've changed the trajectory of that game before it got out of hand.
That's water under the bridge now, though. The focus is on the future, and if this team works on staying engaged enough to avoid penalties, not missing assignments, and playing together, the sky is the limit in Columbus. Running back Bo Jackson made strides out of the backfield between the guards as the season progressed. It'd be ideal if Montgomery and Co. could continue keeping the gaps open, though Moore and Phillip Daniels are Jackson's best bets to continue dominating on the outside. With a deep RB room and Arthur Smith having an affinity for up-the-gut physicality, Montgomery and the IOL will have the chance to impress, or depress, depending on the results this fall.
Ohio State's offensive line is right where it should be
Another year of continuity, simply subtracting right guard Tegra Tshabola, who was struggling in his role and somehow registered a 17.6 pass block grade against Indiana, plus the shame of knowing they might've prevented a deeper CFP run, is exactly where this offensive line needs to be.
Players not beating around the bush is always a good thing. Montgomery could've made headlines for underselling the poor efforts from last year's CFP. Instead, he'll probably go under the radar for being accountable. And that's a-okay.
As long as that front five is ready, there's not much else to lose sleep over when it comes to his group. You know what you're getting more than most OLs because of the continuity, and the Buckeyes still went 12-0 in the regular season with that group.
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