College football: Buckeyes have to fit new pieces on offensive line

COLUMBUS — At the start of his eighth season as Ohio State football head coach, Ryan Day is looking for his eighth consecutive AP top-10 finish, including No. 5 last season when the Buckeyes fell short of defending their 2024 national championship. With those high expectations in mind, he had a relatively long list of concerns after coming off the practice field Thursday for the first time this preseason. "Well, I think we all wanna see how the offensive line shakes out here, that's for sure," Day said. "I think the tight end room is an interesting room. I think that we do have some depth there, but who's actually gonna take the majority of those reps?" He also listed backup quarterback and receiver slots three, four, five and six before wondering about the running back position, where 1,000-yard rusher Bo Jackson is back, and the defensive secondary as a whole. While Day being mostly concerned about backups might illustrate the types of "problems" most coaches would gladly take, the offensive line was a sore point throughout the offseason after getting shoved around in season-ending losses to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game and Miami (Fla.) in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Four starters return, but more than one position might have a new starter when the Buckeyes open the season at home against Ball State on Sept. 5. Austin Siereveld, who started at left tackle last season, was at right guard Thursday to allow the team to take a look at Ian Moore at left tackle. They could end up joining center Carson Hinzman, left guard Luke Montgomery and right tackle Phillip Daniels in the starting lineup, but others are also likely to get a look this month, including Joshua Padilla at guard. At tight end, the Buckeyes lost Will Kacmarek and Max Klare to the NFL, but return Bennett Christian and Nate Roberts. Newcomers include transfer Mason Williams (Ohio University, Mogadore graduate) and Hunter Welcing (Northwestern), so the cupboard is not exactly bare. No one is likely to cry for Day when it comes to receiver either, as All-American Jeremiah Smith is back for his junior season along with senior Brandon Inniss, a respected leader who can play inside or out. The choices to fill in the depth chart there include five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. and transfers Devin McCuin (Texas-San Antonio) and Kyle Parker (LSU). Despite Jackson's return at running back, the pecking order might not be determined thanks to a strong offseason for classmate Isaiah West's work in the weight room over the winter and summer. "He had a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building," Day said of West, who took reps with the first team offense Thursday. "When he was in there last year, he showed some real good things, so we want him to take the next step, just as we do Bo." Another option at running back, freshman Legend Bey, was not on the practice field Thursday, and Day attributed that to a violation of team rules. "He's learning, but he'll be back on the field soon," Day said. The Buckeyes open the season on Sept. 5 against Ball State before a potential top 10 matchup at Texas the following week.