5 players to watch in Ohio State football spring practice

Spring practice is on the horizon at Ohio State.

The Buckeyes begin the first of 15 practices on March 10, marking the next phase of their offseason calendar. As they look toward 2026, here are five players worth watching over the weeks ahead.

Julian Sayin

Not since C.J. Stroud in 2022 has Ohio State had a returning starter at quarterback, and Sayin has an opportunity to build off an impressive debut season that saw him finish fourth in the Heisman Trophy race and come within a point of breaking the FBS completion percentage record.  

The continuity from playing under Ryan Day should further Sayin’s development. For all his clean box scores during the regular season, he struggled to find a higher gear on the bigger postseason stages, holding onto the ball longer and succumbing to more frequent pressure. The losses in the Big Ten championship game and College Football Playoff quarterfinal offered reminders that Sayin remains an unfinished product. While it will be months before he gets any do-overs, the five weeks of spring practice provide a setting for him to begin taking the next step as a redshirt sophomore.  

Chris Henry Jr.

The Buckeyes kept Henry as part of their high school recruiting class in December despite his wavering in the aftermath of wide receivers coach Brian Hartline accepting the head coaching job at South Florida. It marked a major win for Ohio State as the son of the late Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was the nation’s top-ranked receiver recruit.

If Henry makes a quick transition, it could pay dividends in the search for a replacement for Carnell Tate opposite Jeremiah Smith. While transfer addition Devin McCuin played most of his snaps on the outside at UTSA, there are few other receivers with experience on the perimeter, leaving a potential starting role for Henry, a big 6-foot-5 target. If he mirrors the career arc of Smith, who started right away as a freshman in 2024, he could be in line to seize a spot.

Ian Moore

At first glance, Moore was not the most notable retention up front for the Buckeyes, who return four of their five starting offensive linemen. He has made only one start in two years as a backup, stepping in at right tackle at Purdue last November while Phillip Daniels was held out with an injury.

But Moore flashed potential in his start, as well as a later appearance in the playoff quarterfinal loss, replacing Austin Siereveld for the second half and offering a reliable presence at left tackle. If he proves ready for a full-time starting job this year, it could prompt a reconfiguration of the line, pushing either Daniels or Siereveld, the returning tackles, to right guard, the lone vacant spot, in order to make room for Moore, who has more size at 6 feet, 6 inches and 312 pounds.

Zion Grady

Ohio State has a handful of options to replace Caden Curry at defensive end, from top backup Beau Atkinson to Qua Russaw, a hybrid linebacker who projects as more of an edge rusher after transferring from Alabama. But Grady, a sophomore who is younger than either of them, is an intriguing piece.

Grady began to surpass Atkinson in the rotation late last season and show the promise that made him the Buckeyes’ top-ranked defensive line recruit in their high school recruiting class for 2025, finishing with 13 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in just over 100 snaps. He has upside as a pass rusher with 6-foot-4 length in addition to holding up against the run. If his emergence continues this offseason, he’d become Larry Johnson’s latest homegrown starting lineman.

Devin Sanchez

Sanchez was a top-10 recruit in the 2025 class and rose up the depth chart as a freshman, becoming the Buckeyes’ top backup cornerback. He made a start at Illinois in October when the Buckeyes moved Jermaine Mathews Jr. to nickel back in place of Lorenzo Styles Jr., who was sidelined with an injury.

With Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West moving on to Oregon and Wisconsin, it leaves Sanchez as the heavy favorite to take over for Davison Igbinosun as the starter opposite Mathews. He’ll have competition from Dominic Kelly, who transferred to Ohio State from Georgia, but Sanchez has a bigger frame and would be a bigger cornerback in the mold of Igbinosun, who was known for being physical in coverage. Sanchez pairs his 6-foot-2 length with fluid movement and could begin to position himself as the Buckeyes’ next breakout defensive star.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football spring practice: Key players to watch