With the player movement period winding down, Ohio State’s offense is beginning to take shape ahead of the 2026 season.
The Buckeyes once again boast a blend of proven contributors, young prospects and transfers fostering both intrigue and uncertainty across multiple position groups.
Between incoming transfers and recruits in the 2026 class, Ohio State brings in a total of 18 offensive pieces.
Here’s a position-by-position look at how the Buckeyes’ offensive depth chart projects heading into the 2026 season.
Quarterback
QB1: Julian Sayin
QB2: Tavien St. Clair
QB3: Justyn Martin
QB4: Luke Fahey
While some of Ohio State’s other position groups took major hits in the offseason, the Buckeyes’ quarterback room will remain largely intact.
Ohio State’s quarterback room is topped by Heisman-finalist and surefire starter Julian Sayin, who threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns in his redshirt freshman campaign with the Buckeyes.
Behind Sayin is former five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair, who spent 2025 as Ohio State’s third-string quarterback behind Sayin and Louisville transfer Lincoln Kienholz. St. Clair threw two passes in 2025, both incompletions.
Joining the room is Mission Viejo, Calif., three-star quarterback Luke Fahey (6-0, 185) and former Maryland and UCLA quarterback Justyn Martin.
Heading into his sixth season, Martin has thrown just 35 passes in his career for 179 yards and one passing touchdown and has added 12 rushes for 12 yards.
Running back
RB1: Bo Jackson
RB2: Isaiah West
RB3: Ja’Kobi Jackson
RB4: Favour Akih
Following a breakout campaign in 2025, Bo Jackson is slated to take the reins of Ohio State’s running back unit, alongside fellow rising sophomore Isaiah West.
Jackson earned freshman All-American honors alongside Sayin after racking up 1,090 rushing yards, 200 receiving yards and seven total touchdowns on 6.1 yards per carry last season.
West came on later in 2025, taking just 59 carries for 310 yards and two touchdowns, while competing with C.J. Donaldson and James People for reps.
Rounding out the room is Florida transfer running back Ja’Kobi Jackson and Delaware (Ohio) Rutherford B. Hayes four-star running back Favour Akih (6-0, 190).
Jackson, now in his seventh year, took 122 totes for 607 yards and two touchdowns in his two seasons at Florida.
Wide Receiver
WR1: Jeremiah Smith
WR2: Chris Henry Jr.
WR3/Slot: Brandon Inniss
WR4: Kyle Parker
WR5: Devin McCuin
WR6/Slot: Phillip Bell
Ohio State’s receiving corps may have taken the biggest hit this offseason, losing Carnell Tate to the draft while multiple other key wideouts, including Quincy Porter, Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers, departed for other programs.
Jeremiah Smith returns for a third season with the Buckeyes after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Smith led the team in every major receiving category in 2025 with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns, a standout year that earned him unanimous All-American honors and made him a finalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award.
Slot receiver and rising senior captain Brandon Inniss also returns for Ohio State. Inniss ranked fourth on the Buckeyes with 36 receptions for 271 yards and three scores.
Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. (6-5, 205) will likely slot into Ohio State’s starting receiver position with the Buckeyes’ slew of losses at wideout. Henry set school records at Cincinnati Withrow (Ohio) as a sophomore, totaling 1,127 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Transfer wideouts Kyle Parker (LSU) and Devin McCuin (UTSA) could compete for starting roles, but are more likely to come in as backups for Ohio State in 2026.
Parker hauled in 31 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore for the Tigers in 2025, while McCuin totaled a solid 65 catches for 726 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Former four-star wide receiver Phillip Bell also remains part of Ohio State’s receiving corps after playing just 21 snaps last season without recording a catch.
Tight End
TE1: Hunter Welcing
TE2: Mason Williams
TE3: Nate Roberts
TE4: Bennett Christian
With the losses of Max Klare, Will Kacmarek and Jelani Thurman to the draft and portal, Ohio State’s tight end unit will look drastically different from 2025.
The Buckeyes began by bringing in former Ohio tight end Mason Williams, before adding former Northwestern tight end Hunter Welcing just days later.
Williams hauled in 26 receptions for 276 yards and three touchdowns, then added 28 catches for 296 yards and two scores at Ohio in 2025, while Welcing ranked as the No. 4 tight end and the No. 58 overall transfer in the class, according to 247Sports.
Both transfers will likely compete for the opportunity to compete for the starting job.
Behind Welcing and Williams is rising sophomore Nate Roberts and senior tight end Bennett Christian. Roberts is fresh off a solid freshman campaign where he ranked fourth among Ohio State tight ends with 160 snaps taken and totaled four catches for 35 yards.
The talented 6-5, 240-pound freshman Roberts will have a strong chance to jump longtime Buckeye Bennett Christian in the depth chart, who caught five passes for 16 yards and a touchdown in 2025.
Offensive Line
LT1: Austin Siereveld
LG1: Luke Montgomery
C1: Carson Hinzman
RG1: Joshua Padilla
RT1: Phillip Daniels
LT2: Carter Lowe
LG2: Jake Cook
C2: Joshua Padilla
RG2: Gabe VanSickle
RT2: Ian Moore
Ohio State will officially return four of its five starting lineman for the 2026 season, albeit the loss of two-year starter Tegra Tshabola, who transferred to Kentucky this offseason.
Along with the 2025 starters, Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, Phillip Daniels, Joshua Padilla and Gabe VanSickle appear to be the leading candidates to replace Tshabola at right guard. Padilla and VanSickle both split time with Tshabola and stepped in during his injury in 2025, logging 128 snaps and 154 snaps, respectively.
Padilla, who began his Ohio State career at center, would also likely serve as the Buckeyes’ primary backup at the position if Hinzman were sidelined.
Behind the starting tackles of Siereveld and Daniels, Ian Moore and former high four-star freshman Carter Lowe could slot in at offensive tackle. Moore is expected to be the first off the bench, having logged 31 snaps in Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl loss to Miami (Fla.) after Siereveld exited with an injury.
Behind Montgomery, Padilla and VanSickle, rising sophomore Jake Cook could fill in at backup left guard. The 6-4, 306-pound freshman took 17 snaps in 2025.
