Projecting the Biggest Concern for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2026
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For the bulk of the 2025 season, Ohio State appeared to be the team to beat and was poised to bring a second title in a row back to Columbus. However, hopes of a national championship were derailed by a loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game, followed by a defeat to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Last year’s disappointment will certainly fuel coach Ryan Day’s team as it looks to return to No. 1 in ‘26.
The Buckeyes bring back 11 overall starters this fall, including eight on offense behind quarterback Julian Sayin, receiver Jeremiah Smith, and four key returners along the line. Just three starters return on defense, leaving coordinator Matt Patricia with a significant rebuilding effort ahead this offseason.
Another obstacle to a run at the national championship is the schedule. Ohio State plays at Texas on Sept. 12 and later catches Iowa (Oct. 3), Indiana (Oct. 17), and USC (Oct. 31) on the road. High-profile showdowns against Oregon (Nov. 7) and Michigan (Nov. 28) take place in Columbus.
Athlon Sports’ Steven Lassan and Kyle Wood debate and project what the biggest concern for Ohio State should be in ’26:
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Projecting the Biggest Concern for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2026
Steven Lassan: A rebuilt defense
This is tough. Ohio State doesn’t have a glaring weakness on this roster. The offense is loaded with Sayin and Smith leading the way, and the rushing attack is poised to improve with running back Bo Jackson settled into the starting job. Also, I think the hire of Arthur Smith as coordinator can help this ground attack take a step forward in ‘26.
Considering the firepower and experience on offense, the answer to this question has to be on defense. The Buckeyes are losing so many key players, including safety Caleb Downs, linebackers Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, and defensive linemen Caden Curry and Kayden McDonald. How effective Patricia is at reloading the front is crucial, especially with high-profile matchups against quarterbacks in Arch Manning (Texas), Dante Moore (Oregon), Josh Hoover (Indiana), Jayden Maiava (USC), and Bryce Underwood (Michigan) on tap in ‘26. Three transfers in end Qua Russaw (Alabama) and tackles John Walker (UCF) and James Smith (Alabama) will help to reload the front. Former Wisconsin linebacker Christian Alliegro also joined from the portal to restock the second level, while Day added four transfers to bolster the secondary.
After last season’s performance, confidence should be high on Patricia’s ability to once again push the right buttons. And overall talent certainly isn’t lacking. How fast can Patricia find the right answers and get Ohio State’s defense playing up to a caliber that’s good enough to win the national title?
Kyle Wood:Creating havoc on Defense
The Buckeyes’ defensive departures are considerable. Three, maybe even four, players on that side of the ball alone project to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Of course, Ohio State has blue-chip prospects and transfers from power conference programs ready to fill their place. But my concern is a combination of the degree of turnover and what already stood out as a lack of game-changing plays on defense.
When the Buckeyes won the national championship in 2024, they finished second nationally in sacks. This past playoff, when Ohio State was bounced in the quarterfinal, Patricia’s unit ranked outside the top 20. The same goes for turnovers. The Buckeyes ranked just outside the top 50 in the year they won it all. In 2025, they were were in the bottom half of the FBS at No. 75. Losing players like Curry (11 sacks), Reese (6.5 sacks) and Downs (two interceptions, two forced fumbles) isn’t going to help in that regard.
Of course, there’s a degree of randomness when it comes to turnovers — and Ohio State’s offense does a good job of taking care of the ball — but negative plays (including sacks and tackles for loss) are one of the few areas where this group can improve. If the Buckeyes can cause chaos in the same manner they did two years ago, there’s nothing stopping them from a deep playoff run.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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