Ohio State football entered preseason camp with multiple options for the first-team offensive line, and coach Ryan Day aimed to have the starting five solidified sooner rather than later. "Probably by practice nine or 10, we would like to have that sorted out," Day said at Big Ten Media Day. During the first three days of preseason practices, which were the only sessions open to the media and public, the Buckeyes tested two configurations. On the first and third days, Ian Moore started at left tackle and Austin Siereveld at right guard. On day two, Joshua Padilla slotted at right guard, allowing Siereveld to slide to left tackle.
Right tackle Phillip Daniels, center Carter Hinzman and left guard Luke Montgomery remained in their respective starting positions all three days of camp. "I think it's always good to have options," Hinzman said. "Obviously, you would like to know exactly who your starting five is, just because the offensive line is very different than a lot of other positions where we don't really rely on a lot of people. ... We have so many guys that have gotten so many reps that cohesion transcends the whole o-line we've got right now." The Buckeyes struggled up front in the Big Ten championship and the College Football Playoff quarterfinal, allowing10 sacks across those losses to Indiana and the University of Miami, respectively.
Tegra Tshabola, who started at right guard all season, was pulled late against the Hoosiers and ruled out against Miami, leaving Padilla and current redshirt sophomore Gabe VanSickle to rotate at the position for the first time. An injury to Siereveld at left tackle in the second half against the Hurricanes led to Moore getting his first meaningful minutes. The postseason experience put Moore and Padilla in the conversation to fill the starting position left vacant by Tshabola's transfer to Kentucky during the offseason.
But offensive coordinator Arthur Smith credits Siereveld for giving Ohio State the flexibility to try multiple different starting offensive lines. Siereveld began his career at Ohio State as a part-time starter at left guard before moving to left tackle, where he started all of 2025. "He's really a guy I see as a four-position player, inside and out," Smith said. "That's kind of rare, to have that kind of versatility." More: Jay Timmons becomes first Ohio State football freshman to lose black stripe in camp With Day's deadline for determining the starting offensive line quickly approaching, as the Buckeyes take the field for their ninth practice on Aug. 15, the players in first-team contention can sense the impact the upcoming days can have on the season. "For us to have a really firm foundation of what we do, and how we're going to do it ... you need those reps together," Hinzman said. "You need to have a little bit of cohesion because when you get into the high-stress situations, like in Texas, Indiana, Iowa, at home against Oregon. You need to be able to learn how to communicate together." bmackay@dispatch.com @brimackay15 This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: When Ryan Day expects Ohio State's starting OL to be determined