Buckeye interior offensive linemen are “walking on water” into first gameday

Allison Wolfe
Fri, 04 Sep 2026 01:05:30 +0000
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Senior offensive lineman Luke Montgomery (51) at media availability on Sept. 2, 2026. Credit: Cassandra D’Angelo | Sports Photo Editor.

Ohio State’s offensive linemen Carson Hinzman, Luke Montgomery and Austin Siereveld have each experienced multiple highs and lows during their time as Buckeyes.?

All three linemen each started a game during Ohio State’s 2024 College Football Playoff run that resulted in a national championship win.

However, they were also on the Buckeyes’ roster in crushing losses to their biggest rival Michigan, in 2024 and 2023.

With 4,643 combined snaps played during their college careers, the trio enters the 2026 season with years of experience, now anchoring the interior of the offensive line.?

“I think those three guys in particular are a good example of guys that had their ups and downs along the way, but now they’re playing their best football,” head coach Ryan Day said. “Not only are they seniors, but they’ve been in the program for multiple years.”?

Even though the starting lineup has not been officially announced, Hinzman has practiced at center, Montgomery at left guard and Siereveld, who started and played mainly at left tackle last season, shifting to right guard, per prior Lantern reporting.

“I think that’s where this offense is going to start, right there with those three guys on the inside,” Day said.?

Montgomery described the relationship the three of them have built during their time in Columbus.?

“We’ve grown a lot together, we’ve had a lot of snaps together, we’ve done a lot of things outside of the Woody [Hayes Athletic Center] together,” Montgomery said. “We are really close as friends. That helps as well.”?

Hinzman, in his fifth year, and Montgomery and Siereveld, in their fourth years, have combined for 71 career starts as Buckeyes.

“They’ve been with us,” Day said. “They know what this place is. They bleed scarlet and gray. So that is really significant; they know what they are walking into this season.”?

The combination of the players’ experience, football knowledge and expertise from offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and offensive line coach Tyler Bowen, is going to elevate them to the next level, Day described.

“The overall football IQ of those three guys is really high. Combine that with some of the things that [Smith’s] doing, [Bowen’s] doing, man, those guys are walking on water right now, they are,” Day said. “You see them walk down the hallway, you see the way that they are out at practice, they’re highly energized. They’re rocking off the ball, that’s been fun to see.”

Montgomery emphasized how the three of them have seen almost all there is to see on the field, something he said will be important for them this season.

“We’ve seen every front. We’ve seen every blitz. We’ve seen every pressure, every stunt,” Montgomery said. “We’ve seen everything on the defensive side. So, that helps us on an everyday basis.”

As a part of Ohio State’s 2024 national championship team, Hinzman, Montgomery and Siereveld have reached the top of the sport and they know the level at which they are capable of performing.?

Siereveld said that while the standard is high for the three of them, they have to continue raising the bar for this season.

“We have a very high standard of us three,” Siereveld said. “We know what [it’s] going to take. Obviously, the schedule is very probably one of the hardest in the country, and we know [what] it’s going to take up front. We just [have] to show up every week.”

Hinzman echoed the fact that with the competitive schedule, which includes matchups against six teams currently ranked in the top-25, it’s important for them to take advantage of every game.

“We’ve worked so hard for this moment,” Hinzman said. “We talk about it all the time, football is very unique in the aspect of we might have 100 practices, might have thousands of hours going up to the off-season, but only have 12 guaranteed chances to go show what we’ve worked so hard for. Within those 12 chances we have a great opportunity to go show how good we can be.”