Ryan Day at fall training camp on Aug. 8, 2026. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Sports Photo Editor.
With 10 days until Ohio State opens its season against Ball State, the Buckeyes are still putting their final pieces together.
Head coach Ryan Day emphasized the team’s depth, but looks for the Buckeyes to continue to improve during the final days of fall camp before they take their first snap in the Horseshoe on Sept. 5.
Here are three takeaways from Day’s Monday press conference at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Offensive line alignment shaping out
One of the biggest questions going into the season was who the five starting offensive lineman will be. Although he did not list a starting lineup, Day gave hints on which lineman the Buckeyes have been practicing with.
He implied Carson Hinzman will stay at the center position, Luke Montgomery will continue at left guard, Austin Siereveld, who played a majority at left tackle last season, will shift to left guard and Ian Moore at left tackle and Phillip Daniels at right tackle have received a lot of starting opportunities in practice.?
“You’re seeing [Hinzman], [Montgomery] and [Siereveld] inside, and then [Moore] and [Daniels] on the outside, and they’re working together right now and getting a lot of reps with the ones,” Day said.?
He explained other players have also received reps with the starters, including Joshua Padilla, Gabe VanSickle, Jake Cook, Carter Lowe and Deontae Armstrong.
“[The] good news is we feel like we have more depth there probably than we’ve had in a long time,” Day said.?
Wide receiver depth
Talent and depth in the Ohio State wide receiver room does not seem to be a question most years, and it seems it won’t be once again. In fact, it might even be better.
“Our depth again at wide receiver is way better than it was last year, in my opinion,” Day said. “There’s a lot of guys you’ll see play this season.”
Day said up to six could play on a game-to-game match-up scenario.
The six receivers could include four upperclassmen: senior Brandon Inniss, junior Jeremiah Smith, transfers Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker and two freshmen: Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd.?
Day said wideouts Phillip Bell and De’Zie Jones have also had a strong camp. Day said players who make an impact on special teams will also determine who gets playing time at receiver.
“Who gets on the field on special teams is critical,” Day said. “We’ve always said if it’s a tie, it’s going to go to the guy who plays on special teams.”
Day’s stance on NFL players returning to NCAA teams
On Sunday, former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who was on the Cleveland Browns’ NFL preseason roster, reached an agreement to join LSU once cleared from NFL waivers.
Day expressed his stance on the topic on Monday.??
“In my opinion, the conferences have to decide if there’s a point where their rosters have to be locked in because once some of these guys become available, adding them to the roster is going to provide advantage for certain teams,” Day said.
The next day, the ruling changed.?
The Big Ten unanimously passed a rule that stops players returning from the NFL from playing for one of its schools on Tuesday.
“The Big Ten Conference announced Tuesday the unanimous adoption of a conference rule to prohibit football players who have signed a professional contract, were on a professional roster at any point or declared for the NFL Draft as an underclassman without withdrawing, from maintaining eligibility for athletic competition at a conference institution,” the league said.
Prior to the Big Ten’s ruling, Day said Monday that because adding former players who were in the NFL is even a possibility, he had to consider the potential effects it would have on Ohio State, regardless of how he felt.
“If there are teams that have some players out there who are cut from NFL rosters that are going to be on other teams, we have to at least consider it and look at it,” Day said. “Do I like anything about it? Absolutely not. But we’ve got to do what’s right for Ohio State.”
