Columbus, OhioThe majority of the intriguing offensive position battles that Ohio State had going into fall camp have already been determined. However, some people have made a good problem for themselves.
The offensive depth, which even reached the quarterback position, thrilled head coach Ryan Dayleft at fall camp.Despite Julian Sayin being selected as the starting quarterback, Day has complete faith in Lincoln Kienholz to do well if called upon.
As he makes his play-calling debut against Texas, Brian Hartline will have plenty of options to choose from because the optimism has also extended to other offensive positions.
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The Buckeyes’ path to becoming national champions again begins on Saturday, marking the formal end of the preseason. Thanks to a successful preseason, here is a final prediction for OSU’s starting offense versus the Longhorns, which features an unexpected name up front:
| Position | 1st String | 2nd String |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | Julian Sayin | Lincoln Kienholz |
| Running Back | James Peoples/CJ Donaldson | Bo Jackson |
| X-Receiver | Jeremiah Smith | Quincy Porter |
| Z-Receiver | Carnell Tate | Mylan Graham |
| Slot Receiver | Brandon Inniss | Bryson Rodgers |
| Tight End | Max Klare/ Will Kacmarek | Thurman/Christian |
| Left Tackle | Austin Siereveld | Ian Moore |
| Left Guard | Luke Montgomery | Jake Cook |
| Center | Carson Hinzman | Josh Padilla |
| Right Guard | Tegra Tshabola | Gabe VanSickle |
| Right Tackle | Phillip Daniels | Ethan Onianwa |
Sayin has the opportunity to debut on the most prestigious regular-season stage imaginable. Will he be the only quarterback to play, though? Kienholz’s participation in the run game is acceptable to Day. Day is unlikely to employ this tactic in Week 1. However, as the season goes on, it’s something to watch.
Even though just one of them is out for the first real snap, James Peoples and CJ Donaldson are co-starters. Given that Peoples has been in this system for a longer period of time and Donaldson is the more seasoned college football player, one might argue for either. In any case, anticipate that they will be used similarly. The question of interest is whether Carlos Locklyn feels confident enough to unleash the freshman next week or if he will wait until the stakes are lower.
The best receiving corps in the country might include Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, and Brandon Inniss. They are followed by Quincy Porter, Mylan Graham, and Bryant Rodgers, who may start for most Big Ten teams. The top three won’t likely be off the field much, though, as Hartline hasn’t really rotated at receiver since 2019.
With all due respect to Rickey Dudley and Cade Stover, Max Klare provides OSU a tight end weapon that it has never had before. He is not, however, Keenan Bailey’s sonly weapon. There are four names in those two deeps because this may be the deepest room the Buckeyes will ever have. And against Texas, all four will be involved.
Over the past nine months, Austin Siereveld has emerged as one of the program’s key figures.In fall camp, Phillip Daniels made a huge leap. For Ethan Onianwa, what does that mean? Sierveld won’t be leaving the field on Saturday, and Carson Hinzman and Luke Montgomery most likely won’t either. Perhaps even a healthy Tegra Tshabola who has had a year of experience qualifies for the same category.
To make certain of its tackle situation, Ohio State removed Daniels and Onianwa from the transfer portal. The Buckeyes now appear to have a best-case situation, which means that a rotation at the right tackle position may occur regardless of who starts.
