Every Ohio State Football Starting Job Up for Grabs This Season

Here's every Ohio State football starting job available during this ongoing fall training camp.

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day speaks to his players during the third day of training camp at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Aug. 8, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Fall camp is already full steam ahead for Ohio State, who enters this preseason with plenty of open jobs.

The Buckeyes opened as the No. 1 team in the nation with serious championship expectations. But there are still plenty of wide open position battles this fall.

Let’s take a look at every open job up for grabs for Ohio State this fall.

Running back

Last season, Bo Jackson was the primary running back for Ohio State. After James Peoples transferred to Penn State, a bigger opportunity for Isaiah West emerged.

But Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day proclaimed that West had one of the best offseasons of the entire program, and he’s taken plenty of reps with the starters during the first week of Ohio State’s training camp.

Regardless of who starts, Jackson and West should provide a solid rushing attack with true freshman Legend Bey hopefully providing some explosiveness as well. 

Wide receiver No. 2 and 3

Everyone knows that Jeremiah Smith is the engine that powers Ohio State’s offense.

But senior receiver Brandon Innis will be fending off UTSA transfer Devin McCuin and five-star freshman receiver Chris Henry Jr. for starting spots in Columbus.

Right guard and tackle spots

Center Carson Hinzman and left guard Luke Montgomery will return to their starting offensive line positions this season.

But left tackle, right tackle and right guard are all up for grabs. The Buckeyes need to be better up front, so these are important jobs to monitor.

Starting right guard and right tackle will be a competition between Austin Siereveld, Ian Moore, Phillip Daniels and Josh Padilla. Siereveld will start somewhere, it's just not clear which position yet.

Tight end

Quietly one of the more unproven spots on this roster, the Buckeyes sent both Max Klare and Will Kacmarek to the NFL via Day 2 of the draft in April.

There’s a wide open competition for a rotation of Nate Roberts with transfer portal additions like  Hunter Welcing and Mason Williams expected to make an impact.

Defensive end

Everyone knows Kenyatta Jackson Jr. has his roster spot locked up. But who starts on the other side of the defensive line for Matt Patricia?

Alabama transfer Qua Russaw, returning pass rusher Beau Atkinson, and high-upside sophomore Zion Grady are competing for that starting position.

Secondary

Ohio State knows they’ll have a few key returning players including cornerbacks Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez plus safety Jaylen McClain.

But how Patricia rotates his secondary is to be determined, with the rest of the corner and safety slots undergoing consistent camp evaluations.