Ohio State offensive linemen Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery and Carson Hinzman, as well as defensive tackle Kenyatta Jackson Jr., have each announced their return to the Buckeyes for the 2026-27 season.
Montgomery, Siereveld and Hinzman each announced their returns on Wednesday and will likely look to improve upon a disappointing finish to the season, where Ohio State allowed five sacks against both Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game and Miami (Fla.) in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup, after surrendering just six sacks on quarterback Julian Sayin in the regular season.
Siereveld will return for his redshirt junior season after emerging as one of Ohio State’s top offensive linemen in 2025. After beginning his career at guard and seeing significant time there last year, he shifted to left tackle, earning Iron Buckeye honors in both the winter and summer before being named captain on Aug. 16.
Siereveld was arguably the Buckeyes’ best lineman in 2025, earning an 83.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, including an 83.3 run-blocking mark and a 73.7 pass-protection grade. The Liberty Township, Ohio native surrendered no sacks in 810 snaps and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Montgomery returns for his junior campaign after earning second-team All-Big Ten and AFCA Second-team All-American honors in 2025. Montgomery made his first start in Ohio State’s 28-14 College Football Playoff semifinal win against Texas in 2024 and has since been a staple on the Buckeyes offensive line, starting in all 14 games this season.
A product of Findlay, Ohio, Montgomery was the No. 92 overall player in the class of 2023 and the third-ranked interior offensive lineman in the class of 2023, per 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
Montgomery turned in an outstanding regular season in 2025 and allowed no sacks on Sayin, but he’ll look to rebound after surrendering three combined sacks against Indiana and Miami.
Hinzman earned his first start as a redshirt freshman in 2023 on a struggling offensive line, but was benched in Ohio State’s 13-10 Cotton Bowl loss to Missouri in 2023. Injuries opened the door again in 2024, and he filled in at both guard and center, where he played a key role in Ohio State’s run to the national championship.
In 2025, Hinzman started in all 14 games for Ohio State and allowed just one sack, while earning the team’s top pass-blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Ohio State will also return rising junior right tackle Phillip Daniels, but still must replace right guard and two-year starter Tegra Tshabola, who transferred to Kentucky on Monday.
With the portal closing on Friday, it seems the Buckeyes will look to fill the gap internally with guards Josh Padilla or Gabe VanSickle, both of whom saw significant playing time in the rotation with, or in the absence of, Tshabola this season.
Jackson announced his return for his redshirt senior season with the Buckeyes on Thursday after a solid campaign in his first year as a starter. The 6-6, 265-pound defensive end racked up 28 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in 14 games for Ohio State in 2025.
Ohio State must replace several pieces along its defensive line, including Jackson’s counterpart Caden Curry, who exhausted his eligibility, as well as defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, who entered the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday and fifth-year defensive tackle Tywone Malone Jr.
Rising sophomore Zion Grady and former North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson would likely be the top candidates to play alongside Jackson if Ohio State chooses to promote from within. Otherwise, the Buckeyes could look to their 2026 transfers — defensive end Qua Russaw and defensive lineman James Smith of Alabama, or defensive lineman John Walker from Central Florida — to replace Curry.
The deadline to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft was Wednesday, but Ohio State junior cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. has yet to publicly announce his decision.
