Heading into the 2026 season, the Ohio State Buckeyes will have a new starting offensive line. While they bring back four of the five starters from a year ago, where they line up could be different. Only Tegra Tshabola is gone from last year's team, and he is now at Kentucky.
The coaching staff has decided to run multiple different combinations of offensive linemen out there to determine who the starters will ultimately be. However, it looks like transfer running back Ja'Kobi Jackson has accidentally revealed what the lineup will be.
Austin Siereveld revealed to be the starting right guard
While answering a question about running up the middle against teammates James Smith and Eddrick Houston, Jackson accidentally revealed that Siereveld will be the player starting at right guard for the Buckeyes.
"When I see 3 and 96 (Smith and Houston), I know I got Austin (Siereveld) and Luke (Montgomery) right there, so they are going to just displace the three tech. 3 and 96, they're both just going to get displaced this way, and so I'll just be cutting back behind them."
It's highly unlikely that Ryan Day wanted Jackson to say something like that before he could publicly reveal who the starters for the season will be. Still, this is what everyone thought the lineup was going to be. Siereveld was expected to move to right guard, and Ian Moore was expected to take over at left tackle.
Moore has been seen as one of the best five offensive linemen since the spring, but it has been unclear if he has been good enough to be the starter at left tackle. The Buckeyes need him to hold down the fort on Julian Sayin's blindside, because the right side of the line was a mess last season.
Ohio State is searching for offensive line consistency
At the end of last season, the Buckeyes lacked a strong right side of the line. That resulted in Sayin being sacked 10 times in the last two games, which sunk any chance the Buckeyes had of winning those games. Ohio State has tried to fix that issue since the spring.
Having a better offensive line is the key to Ohio State living up to the preseason hype. They are ranked number one in both preseason polls since the 2015 season. Of course, they have one of the toughest schedules in the country, so going wire-to-wire will be tough.
Siereveld may have been the most consistent offensive lineman last year, which is why he was moved to left tackle. That doesn't mean that he was perfect, but he was good enough to be trusted to protect Sayin's blindside for the entire year. Now, he seemingly will move back to guard.
There are still several other starting spots that Ohio State needs to figure out. They still need a second receiver to emerge, and the tight end spot needs a new starter. Almost the entire defensive side of the ball will have new starters, as well.
Add us as a preferred source on Google