You’re Nuts: What’s the most important thing we’ve learned from Ohio State’s preseason camp

While the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes still have two full weeks of practice and game prep before their season opener against Ball State on Saturday, Sept. 5, following Saturday’s second scrimmage of the preseason, the team and its coaches have said that they have concluded the “camp” portion of the process and will now be moving on to a new phase of preparation.

What that means is that they will now begin to focus on installing the schemes and game plans, instead of repping the fundamentals and trying to assess where each player stands and who needs to be on the field the most. So, now that the team has entered a new phase, we wanted to take a look back at what we’ve learned over the past few weeks to see what the most important bits of info that we’ve learned are.

Ohio State has retained the vast majority of its offensive skill core from last season, outside of the obvious loss of Carnell Tate. The star receiver was taken No. 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, but in his absence the cupboard of weapons is far from bare in Columbus.

Julian Sayin returns now in year two as a starting quarterback under Ryan Day. Jeremiah Smith is back at wide receiver as the nation’s best overall player, and is joined by five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr., a senior captain in Brandon Inniss and a host of other additions via the transfer portal and the recruiting ranks. Bo Jackson leads the running back room after rushing for more than 1,000 yards as a freshman.

All of that skill talent should lead to one of the premier offenses in college football, but as we all know, none of that may matter if the offensive line isn’t up to par. Luckily for Ohio State, that unit appears to be in spectacular shape as well.

Four of the Buckeyes’ five starting linemen from the 2025 season are back, with the lone loss being Tegra Tshabola, who transferred to Kentucky during the offseason. The result is a tremendously experienced group, with each of those four guys — Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery, Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels — having played more than 1,000 career snaps apiece.

With no shortage of returnees up front, there were only two real questions coming into preseason camp: Who will earn that fifth and final spot in the starting lineup, and how would position coach Tyler Bowen choose to align them?

While there has been no official ruling made regarding a true starting lineup ahead of the Week 1 matchup against Ball State, based on what we have seen and heard throughout camp, we appear to have an answer to both of those questions.

It will more than likely be junior Ian Moore taking over at left tackle, with Siereveld moving from tackle back to his more natural position at right guard. Montgomery, Hinzman and Daniels will remain at left guard, center and right tackle, respectively, as they all played last season.

Despite a minor injury to Siereveld that forced him to miss a few days of camp, this seems to be the most common group of starters running with the ones. It was also revealed by Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson in an interview last week that Siereveld had been playing at guard, so everything right now points to this being the starting five come Sept. 5.

It is encouraging to see Moore (unofficially) earn that final spot, as the Indiana native shined in a limited role as a sophomore last season. While he played only 150 snaps on the year overall, Moore finished the year as the Buckeyes’ highest-graded pass blocker (83.3) per PFF.

Between all the experience, guys playing in more natural positions, and the upside of a guy like Moore, this line has the makings of a dominant front capable of paving the way for a prolific Ohio State offense.

For most of Ryan Day’s tenure at Ohio State, we have talked about the Buckeyes’ passing attack first and foremost, for obvious prolific reasons. That tends to happen when you have cemented yourself as an elite quarterback factory and the preeminent producers of top-line NFL wide receivers. Under Day’s tutelage, quarterbacks routinely put up video-game numbers, and the banner of WRU has officially come home to Columbus.

Coming into 2026, with a returning Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback in Julian Sayin and the best player, let alone wide receiver, in college football, Jeremiah Smith, leading a loaded receiving corps, there is no reason to believe that will change this fall. However, what might make this Ohio State offense different is that OSU could have a running game worthy of demanding nearly as much defensive attention; a boon for both aspects of the Buckeyes’ offense.

Bo Jackson’s ascent last season was remarkable, not necessarily because he was talented enough to play immediately, but because of how quickly he went from freshman depth piece to Ohio State’s unquestioned RB1. Jackson entered 2025 behind James Peoples and C.J. Donaldson, but after consecutive 100-yard games against Grambling State and Ohio, he took over the top spot in the rotation at Washington and never really gave it back. He finished with 1,090 yards, becoming just the fifth freshman in program history to surpass 1,000 rushing yards.

Isaiah West’s path was considerably less direct. The former three-star prospect arrived at Ohio State still working his way back from the torn ACL he suffered in high school, and although he had moments of electricity during his freshman season — 310 yards on just 59 carries — he never appeared to be completely physically recovered from that injury. Then both West and Jackson underwent shoulder surgeries after the season, keeping them out of spring practice and making the running back room one of the most concerning questions throughout spring and summer.

The first real running back buzz of preseason camp belonged almost entirely to West. Day said he had a “tremendous offseason,” calling it one of the best in the building, while noting that he looked “the best physically he’s looked” since arriving at Ohio State. West opened camp taking significant reps alongside the projected starters, and for the first few practices, it seemed reasonable to wonder whether he had legitimately pushed Jackson for the top spot.

Then Jackson reminded everybody why he became RB1 in the first place.

By the Buckeyes’ first major scrimmage, Day said Jackson had “certainly stood out” and had enjoyed “a very good start to camp,” seemingly reestablishing himself atop the pecking order without diminishing what West had accomplished. Which, greedily as a fan, is the best possible outcome for Ohio State.

Day challenged the room before camp, saying that if the Buckeyes are going to accomplish the goals that they have set for this season, they will absolutely need a high level of play at that running back position. He might wind up getting it from two different players, especially considering who will be calling the plays this fall.

As an NFL playcaller, new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was known for an aggressive, bulldozing rushing attack. Jackson has already described Smith’s system as a “run-heavy offense” built around the offensive line, tight ends and backs, and Smith has spent much of his NFL career finding ways to make multiple talented runners useful rather than treating the second back as more of a co-starter than merely the guy who gives the RB1 a breather.

Ohio State obviously isn’t going to stop throwing the ball with Sayin and Smith on the field. The days of Urban Meyer (and, in turn, Day) looking for a balanced 250 yards in the air and a 250 yards on the ground are likely gone until the cyclical nature of college football offenses comes back around that way again. Today’s game, at the elite levels, is predicated on passing. But if defenses have to legitimately account for Jackson and West on every snap, the Buckeyes won’t have to choose between being an elite passing team or an elite rushing team.

For perhaps the first time in a while, they might have the personnel — and the coordinator — to be both.