Progrums

Buckeye Battle Plan: OSU’s Week 1 Starters Revealed

With four weeks until kickoff against Ball State, Ohio State’s fall camp is shaping the pecking order across offense and defense. At quarterback, returning Heisman contender Julian Sayin looks set to lead the charge. Early camp reps suggest Isaiah West is edging out Bo Jackson for the top running back slot, while Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Inniss and newcomer Devin McCuin appear poised to man the wide-receiver corps. Tight end Nate Roberts—Ohio State’s top 2025 TE recruit—will fill the post-Klare/Kacmarek/Thurman vacancy in three-wide sets. The offensive line features Austin Siereveld likely back at left tackle, flanked by Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman, Joshua Padilla and Phillip Daniels. Defensively, ends Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Beau Atkinson anchor the front, with Will Smith Jr. and Eddrick Houston inside; transfers John Walker and James Smith must bide their time. Linebackers Payton Pierce and transfer Christian Alliegro patrol the second level, while safeties Terry Moore and Jaylen McClain replace Caleb Downs’s departure. At corner, Devin Sanchez and Earl Little Jr. lock down one side, and Jermaine Mathews Jr. battles Georgia transfer Dominick Kelly for the other.

Welcome to the Ohio State version of “Camp Castaways,” where star QBs lurk in Heisman shadows, RBs run like they owe someone money, and a parade of transfers crash the party like that one cousin who always shows up with a plate of mystery casserole. Julian Sayin’s back—because apparently no Big Ten linebacker ever learned how to tackle a guy with a 77% completion rate. Isaiah West has sprinted past freshman phenom Bo Jackson, proving fall camp reps have replaced high-school hype as the new “Hot 100” checklist. Meanwhile, the Buckeyes’ OL swap-meet resembles a game of musical chairs: will Siereveld end up tackling left or right, or just start swinging both fists like a confused bouncer? On defense, Jackson Jr. and Atkinson are auditioning for “America’s Got Pass Rush,” while newcomers Walker and Smith quietly realize that blending in at OSU means mastering two-a-day practices and awkward team-dinner small talk. Let’s not forget special teams—oh wait, we don’t talk about special teams here. Football, right?