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Entering the 2026 season, the Buckeyes will field one of the most experienced offensive lines in college football, with four of five starters returning. And while much is still being decided about where each player will line up, one thing is for
certain: Austin Siereveld will be the unit’s heart.
Siereveld was, after all, the best offensive lineman and an unequivocal team leader in 2025, starting in all 14 games and allowing zero sacks on 810 total snaps. For his efforts at left tackle, he earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors.
Out of high school, the Ohio native was a four-star prospect out of Lakota East High School, rated the No. 11 interior offensive lineman nationally. Though Siereveld was part of the recruiting class of 2023, he redshirted the 2023 season, making his collegiate debut and first start in the 2024 season opener against Akron.
In that 2024 National Championship season, Siereveld went on to start in six more games and saw snaps in all 16—primarily at left guard—helping the Buckeye offense rank top ten nationally in both fewest tackles for loss allowed per game (3.75, good for 7th in the country) and fewest sacks allowed per game (10th in the nation with 1.0 allowed).
In total, the 2024 offensive line gave up just four sacks total across four games in the College Football Playoffs, including the National Championship game.
Now, heading into 2026, Siereveld is affording his coaches some options with offensive line formations, largely due to his ability to play both guard and tackle. After Siereveld missed part of spring camp for lower body surgery (the result of an injury against Miami in the Cotton Bowl), Ian Moore stepped up to make the case for himself as a starter.
In addition, Ryan Day needs to figure out what to do with Phillip Daniels and Josh Padilla.
Siereveld’s ability to play both inside and outside opens up the possibilities. His transition to left tackle in 2025 was an impressive one, but he’s also quite possibly the Buckeyes’ best guard, so regardless of where he ends up starting, there’s really no bad option.
As preseason camp began late last week, Day was taking full advantage of Siereveld’s versatility, experimenting with different offensive line configurations in an effort to find what he called “the best five.” Siereveld was lining up with the first-team offense at right guard, though he’ll likely also take some reps at tackle as Day explores all his options.
There are compelling arguments to be made for Siereveld in either spot. His technique, intelligence and ability to remain calm under pressure make him an excellent fit for Julian Sayin’s blind side, and given his proven success in the role, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, as the old adage goes.
Still, moving him inside would have its perks too. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound lineman is, by most projections, expected to play guard in the NFL, where his physique fits the part, and it could allow the Buckeyes to open up their rush attack with his run blocking.
As the run game is expected to feature heavily in the Buckeyes’ offensive schema this year with the addition of Arthur Smith at offensive coordinator, putting Siereveld at guard feels particularly compelling in the way it would enable the offense.
But while where Siereveld will start is up in the air, whether the veteran lineman starts is not. It speaks to his importance as a leader for this unit that, in all the configuring and assembling of puzzles, Siereveld is always in the conversation as a starter.
His presence bodes well for a unit for which success tends to be tied to experience. Offensive line success is measured less in tangible numbers (though zero sacks on 810 snaps are inarguably impressive numbers) and more in how well it enables the offense.
Experience, then, is a key factor—more even than many other positions—because of the importance of chemistry and communication among the unit, as well as the response time it takes to recognize blitzes and defensive moves.
Siereveld was already excelling in these areas, and he should only get better with another season under his belt. No matter where he lines up this fall, Siereveld’s leadership on the offensive line will be a critical factor in affording Sayin time to make decisions and in enabling a rushing offense that will shoulder a lot of responsibility this season.
In the process, he’ll raise the bar for the entire offensive line and play a key role in the team’s success as they chase another national title.
