Ohio State Football Offseason Recap: Where the Buckeyes Improved (and Where They Didn’t)

Less than a month away from kicking off their 2026 regular season the Ohio State Buckeyes are once again shouldering enormous expectations.

Head coach Ryan Day’s group has not only reloaded with top level talent among players, but adding former NFL head coach Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator and Cortez Hankton as wide receivers coach means the team shouldn’t skip a beat after seeing Brian Hartline move on to USF.

Former Buckeye linebacker Bobby Carpenter recently shared that a Dallas Cowboys scout told him at camp “Dude, this team looks better than last year.”

NFL scouts were all over Ohio State’s training camp 👀

One Cowboys scout told @Bcarp3:

“Dude, this team looks better than last year.”

Presented by @FanDuel https://t.co/4bssTMfs38 pic.twitter.com/1Oxc9M4i8T
— Bobby Carpenter Show (@BobbyCarpShow) August 11, 2026

One quick look at all Ohio State position groups reveals that the team is actually looking better in several spots, though that isn’t necessarily the case across the board. Here’s what we see so far:

Quarterbacks

Better

After one colossal year under his belt, where he finished fourth in the Heisman voting, Julian Sayin should only get better as the Buckeyes starting quarterback. Backup Tavien St. Clair is also on his second year on the job, after spending last year as third-stringer. He’ll get his chance to shine, eventually.

Running backs

Better

When you’re returning 1,000-yard freshman rusher isn’t guaranteed to start in his second season, you know the group has improved. That’s the case with Bo Jackson, who’s been running with the second team during camp, behind fellow sophomore Isaiah West.

With incoming transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson and freshman Legend Bey expected to make contributions, the backfield by committee approach might not yield a 1,000 yard rusher this year, but that isn’t a bad thing in itself.

Wide receivers

Worse

Having phenom Jeremiah Smith on board is the absolute dream for any coach, but the team might struggle to compensate for Carnell Tate’s production, especially early on. True freshman Chris Henry Jr. is the next big thing in Columbus, but he might not be ready for that kind of role yet. Returnee Brandon Inniss will be counted on to expand his duties in this offense. Losing Quincy Porter to the portal in this unit shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

Tight ends

Worse

Sophomore Nate Roberts looks the part as the starter, with coach Day describing him as a “talented a young tight end as we've had in a while", but there might be questions regarding depth at this spot, where a couple of transfers will need to step up in Hunter Welcing and Mason Williams.

Offensive Line

Better

While there are still some details to figure out up front, this unit should perform better than last year’s. First-team All-American center Carson Hinzman, left guard Luke Montgomery and right tackle Phillip Daniels should all retain their starting positions. Team captain Austin Siereveld looked good enough at left tackle last season, but is probably even better at guard. If the Buckeyes feel Ian Moore can hold the left tackle spot steady, then this could be the starting lineup. If not, it’s Siereveld back on the outside, and Josh Padilla playing right guard.

Having Siereveld and Padilla available gives the team a ton of flexibility in order to avoid weak links.

Defensive Line

Better

Having Kenyatta Jackson back on the outside is huge, and a trio of transfers will give a huge boost to this group in John Walker and James Smith on the inside and Qua Russaw on the outside. Returning ends Beau Atkinson and Zion Grady, and tackles Eddrick Houston and Will Smith Jr., are expected to have big seasons as well. Maybe there’s no one name that jumps out like others in the past, but this unit is extremely deep.

Linebackers

Worse

I don’t think anybody could have predicted the kind of breakout year that Arvell Reese had this time last year. Alongside Sonny Styles, they enjoyed the kind of season that comes around maybe once in a generation.

Against that standard, it’ll be hard for Payton Pierce and Co. to duplicate the success, but there is a ton of raw talent here, starting with Riley Pettijohn and true freshman Cincere Johnson. Incoming transfer Christian Alliegro brings much needed experience to the mix.

Cornerbacks

Better

The starting duo of Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. looks set, and true freshman Jay Timmons will see enough action to make a difference for the Buckeyes. Keep your eyes on incoming transfer Dominick Kelly, as well.

Safeties

Better

It’s almost sacrilegious to say a team got better after losing Caleb Downs, but it might be the case at Ohio State, where returning starter Jaylen McClain is already elite, and will now be joined by incoming transfers Terry Moore back deep and Earl Little Jr. at the star position that Downs used to own. Little is no Downs, but Little+Moore playing alongside McClain looks pretty good.

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