4 things we saw at Ohio State football's first preseason practice

The start of Ohio State’s preseason training camp put a handful of position groups in the spotlight.

Here were four notable developments from the Buckeyes’ opening practice outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Aug. 6.

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Austin Siereveld, the Buckeyes’ returning starting left tackle, has recovered from the minor procedure that sidelined him late in spring practice in April.

But Siereveld lined up at right guard instead of tackle during 11-on-11 periods, filling the starting spot vacated by Tegra Tshabola, who transferred to Kentucky.

“We thought we wanted to get him some guard reps,” coach Ryan Day said, “see how he felt in there, see how he looked. It’s been a little while.”

After starting at left tackle last season, Siereveld remained there when he was available early in spring practice.

He was last on the interior offensive line in 2024, when he made six starts at left guard.

The Buckeyes could put Siereveld at right guard to make room for Ian Moore, who was the left tackle with the first-team offensive line. The rest included Luke Montgomery at left guard, Carson Hinzman at center and Phillip Daniels at right tackle, carrying over from last year.

Day said the Buckeyes would explore other possible combinations during the preseason. Joshua Padilla figures to be another option at right guard.

“It’s going to be a really good competition,” Day said. “The good news is we have some different options, but we [have] got to find the best five.”

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Isaiah West took first-team reps at running back ahead of Bo Jackson.

“You can see his body, you can see the work he’s put in,” Day said of West. “He had a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building, and when he was in there last year, he showed some real good things. We want him to take the next step, as we do Bo.”

West saw carries as a freshman last year, rushing for 310 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games, but it was a smaller role compared to Jackson, who was the Buckeyes’ breakout star with his 1,000-yard season.

Both backs were limited in spring practice after undergoing shoulder surgeries, making the start of camp their first extended stretch of practice work this offseason.

In recent weeks, Day has called on the position group to take a step forward.

“We have some talent,” Day said. “We have a little bit of experience. But if we’re going to get to where we need to go, when we’ve made major runs, our running backs have run really well.”

Day mentioned the roles of running backs Ezekiel Elliott, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins during the Buckeyes’ most recent national titles in 2014 and 2024.

“In those games, they take over,” Day said, “and that’s what we’re going to need.”

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Dominick Kelly was the first-team cornerback opposite Devin Sanchez during 11-on-11s.

It left Kelly, a sophomore who transferred to Ohio State from Georgia in January, opening camp ahead of Jermaine Mathews Jr., a returning starting cornerback.

“We want guys to compete,” Day said. “A lot of guys have earned the right to do that. Now’s the time where we’re going to be rolling these guys, let the reps accumulate, and evaluate the reps and see where it goes. We need to find what the combination is going to be there.”

If the Buckeyes find that all three cornerbacks command significant snaps, they could rotate them outside or look at them as options at nickel back, although Florida State transfer safety Earl Little Jr. has also been seen as an option there to replace Lorenzo Styles Jr.

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When the Buckeyes featured three wide receivers in 11-on-11s, it was UTSA transfer Devin McCuin who was with Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss. He lined up opposite Smith with Inniss in the slot.

McCuin was productive during his three seasons with the Roadrunners, catching 152 passes for 1,696 yards and 16 touchdowns from 2023-25.

But the Buckeyes have plenty of options at receiver between promising freshmen Brock Boyd and Chris Henry Jr. and Kyle Parker, another veteran transfer who left LSU for Ohio State.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 4 things we saw at Ohio State football’s first preseason practice

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