Three Most Likely All-American Candidates For Ohio State in 2026

The Ohio State Buckeyes racked up the postseason accolades despite a disappointing playoff run to close out the 2025 season, including four players being named All-Americans.

Three of those players (Caleb Downs, Kayden MacDonald, Arvell Reese) are preparing for the NFL draft now, while the Buckeyes look to replace them with new All-American level talent.

Here are three players that could be earning All-American nods this season.

Jeremiah Smith

Maybe the surest lock Ohio State has for an All-American next season. Smith earned his first All-American nod last season in a campaign with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Now he has the big name recognition, and should be able to match the same level of production with a second year playing with Julian Sayin.

Smith won’t have Carnell Tate help take some of the coverage away, but at the same time, Smith won’t be splitting reps with another clear-cut first round pick.

Even if Smith had a slightly down year, he would be nearly guaranteed to earn the honors with a 1,000-yard season, but he’ll be looking to have a much better season than that.

Austin Siereveld

Siereveld was one of the best offensive tackles in the league, despite not always getting the respect he deserved.

It took weeks for Siereveld to even allow a pressure and according to PFF, he allowed just eight all season long, with one hit and no sacks.

Siereveld had the option to go to the NFL draft, where likely would have been a second day pick, but instead chose to return to the Buckeyes for one more season.

If he can help improve the Buckeyes run game, while having the same kind of consistency in the pass game, Seireveld could easily receive All-American honors this season.

He’ll have higher aspirations than that. He’ll be trying to prove he can be a first round NFL pick. He has the size and talent to shine as an offensive tackle, but also the versatility to move inside to a guard when needed. With one more big college season, any team would be lucky to bring him in.

Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

After flashing some potential in his redshirt sophomore season, the expectation was that Jackson would develop into a star in his junior year.

An injury forced Jackson to a slow start, and he was never able to shine more than Caden Curry or Kayden McDonald.

He still had a solid year with 6.5 sacks. There were just higher expectations for the freak athlete.

He chose to return to college for one last season and now the expectations are for a breakout year. He’ll be the star of the defensive line and if he can get a double-digit sack season while still being a menace in the run game, he’ll be an All-American.

Honorable Mention: Julian Sayin

Sayin shined in his first season as a starter. He was a Heisman candidate and could easily become the best quarterback in the nation this season. The only thing holding him back is his age, as it can be hard for a redshirt sophomore to earn an All-American nod. He will be by the end of his career, even if it’s not this year.