This is who will be Ohio State’s starting linebackers in 2026

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There are still nearly three months between now and Ohio State’s season opener. There will be more fall camp battles. Injuries can happen. Young players can surge unexpectedly, and coaches can change their minds.

But one of the goals of this week’s “What We Think We Know” theme is identifying situations where the evidence is beginning to point overwhelmingly in one direction, even if nothing has been officially decided yet. And Ohio State’s linebacker room feels like one of those situations.

The Buckeyes entered the offseason facing arguably the biggest defensive personnel challenge on the roster. Replacing two top ten draft pick NFL linebackers in Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese was never going to be easy. Together, those two combined for 164 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and served as the communication hub of one of college football’s best defenses in 2025.

For a position group that entered the offseason with more questions than answers, the picture now feels surprisingly clear. If Ohio State played a game tomorrow, it would not be surprising at all to see Christian Alliegro and Payton Pierce take the first snaps at linebacker while Riley Pettijohn operates as the third linebacker and hybrid weapon who moves around depending on the situation and opponent.

Nothing is official. But after spring practice, that increasingly feels like what we know.

Christian Alliegro looks like the veteran Ohio State specifically needed

When Ohio State went searching for linebacker help in the transfer portal, it was not looking for a developmental player. It was looking for certainty, and they found just that in former Wisconsin linebacker Christian Alliegro.

The Connecticut native arrives in Columbus after appearing in 35 games for the Badgers, compiling 124 career tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and eight sacks while earning All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition in 2025.

Those numbers alone are impressive. But the way he accumulated them may be even more important. At Wisconsin, Alliegro was never simply an off-ball linebacker. He played downhill against the run, blitzed effectively, operated in multiple fronts, and even aligned closer to the line of scrimmage in pressure situations. That versatility is a major reason Ohio State aggressively pursued him after Arvell Reese declared for the NFL Draft.

At 6-foot-4 and over 240 pounds, Alliegro brings a physical profile that immediately stands out inside Ohio State’s linebacker room. He possesses the size to handle interior run fits while still showing enough athleticism to contribute in pressure packages and pursuit situations.

More importantly, he brings something that nobody else in the room can match. Big Ten Experience. Payton Pierce has played meaningful football. Riley Pettijohn has flashed elite potential. Neither has spent three years battling through Big Ten offensive lines as a full-time contributor. Alliegro has.

That matters because linebacker remains one of the most mentally demanding positions in football. The physical talent required is obvious, but communication, alignment, checks, run fits, and pre-snap recognition often determine whether a defense succeeds or fails.

Ohio State didn’t bring Alliegro in to sit. They brought him in because they expect him to play immediately, and everything we saw this spring reinforced that expectation.

Payton Pierce feels like the safest bet on the roster

If Alliegro represents the transfer portal solution, Payton Pierce represents Ohio State’s developmental success story. The former four-star recruit spent the past two seasons learning behind veteran linebackers before emerging as one of the defense’s most trusted rotational pieces in 2025.

His final stat line wasn’t flashy. Forty-three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery across 14 games. But the numbers don’t fully explain why Pierce appears positioned for a major role.

The most important thing we saw from Pierce last season was that Ohio State trusted him. Every time Pierce entered the game, the defense continued functioning at a high level. There were no major communication breakdowns. There were very few assignment errors, and the defense remained structurally sound. That reliability matters.

Pierce has never been the most physically gifted linebacker in the room. He wasn’t viewed that way as a recruit, and he still isn’t today. What he does possess is something coaches consistently value. Instincts. He sees plays quickly, he takes efficient angles, he understands leverage, and he rarely puts himself in poor positions.

Those traits often separate good linebackers from talented athletes trying to play linebacker. Throughout spring practice, Pierce has looked increasingly comfortable operating as one of the leaders of the defense. That should not be surprising.

He’s entering his third year in the program. He understands James Laurinaitis’ expectations. He understands Matt Patricia’s defense. And unlike many of Ohio State’s younger linebackers, he already has meaningful game experience against top-level competition. If Alliegro provides the room’s veteran presence, Pierce increasingly feels like its foundation.

Riley Pettijohn may not start, but that does not mean he won’t be a star in his role

This is where things become interesting because the most talented linebacker in Ohio State’s room may very well be Riley Pettijohn, even if he won’t be one of the two starters.

The former five-star recruit arrived in Columbus as the No. 4 linebacker and one of the top overall defensive prospects in the 2025 recruiting class. He was a national recruit pursued by Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Oregon, USC, and virtually every major program in the country.

The recruiting profile explains why. At McKinney High School in Texas, Pettijohn produced 162 tackles over his final two seasons while showcasing elite range, athleticism, and positional versatility. He demonstrated the ability to impact games as a run defender, blitzer, and coverage linebacker. Even in limited action as a freshman at Ohio State, the flashes were obvious.

What separates Pettijohn from many linebackers is how naturally he moves in space. He doesn’t look like a traditional linebacker; he looks exactly like a prototypical modern linebacker, and that’s a very important distinction.

Modern defenses increasingly ask linebackers to cover tight ends, match up with running backs, spy athletic quarterbacks, rush the passer, and play in space. Pettijohn possesses the athletic profile to do all of those things. Which is why his role may ultimately be larger than simply being the third linebacker.

Ohio State may not want to limit him to one position. There is growing evidence that the Buckeyes view him as a movable piece capable of impacting multiple packages depending on the situation and opponent.

In some games, that may mean playing alongside Alliegro and Pierce. In others, it may mean replacing one of them. Against spread offenses, his athleticism could become particularly valuable. Against traditional rushing attacks, Ohio State may prefer the experience and physicality of Alliegro and Pierce. That flexibility is exactly why Pettijohn may end up logging starter-level snaps even if he technically isn’t one.

What we think we know

This is not a prediction article. It is a recognition of where the evidence currently points. Could somebody like Tarvos Alford force his way into the conversation? Absolutely.

Could Pettijohn become impossible to keep off the field and ultimately earn a starting job? Of course. Could fall camp completely reshape the room? That’s always possible.

But as of June, the most logical conclusion feels fairly straightforward. Christian Alliegro appears positioned to become Ohio State’s experienced veteran linebacker. Payton Pierce appears ready to become the room’s steady every-down presence. And those two project as the opening day starters. And then Riley Pettijohn looks destined to become the defense’s most versatile linebacker, capable of impacting games in ways that don’t always show up on a stat sheet.

We don’t know exactly how many snaps each player will receive. We don’t know exactly how Ohio State will deploy them. But after spring practice, we think we know who the three most important linebackers on Ohio State’s 2026 defense are going to be, and who the two starters who will play the most snaps are as well. And with preseason camp still a little while away, that is one of the clearest answers on the roster.

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