3 questions for Ohio State’s 2026 football season

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There are few things college football fans (and especially bloggers) enjoy more in the final days before a new season than convincing ourselves that we know exactly what is about to happen. We have spent the offseason obsessing over roster additions, parsing every word uttered during each coach and player press conference, overreacting to every whisper coming out of spring, summer, and preseason workouts, and generally talking ourselves into believing that we alone could divine exactly how the season will play out.

This inevitably leads to everybody with access to a computer spouting their predictions for the season (don’t worry, our annual LGHL predictions omnibus article will be out later this week). So, to kick off the first game week of the season, I decided to go a step, or nine, further. Rather than simply running through a list of things I think will happen for the Buckeyes this season, on Monday, I gave you a list of things I guarantee will happen for the Buckeyes this season. Then on Tuesday, I dove into three things that I expect will happen. And now, today, I am discussing three things I am not exactly sure will happen.

Can the defensive line replace what Ohio State lost?

This is probably my biggest question about the entire football team. Not necessarily my biggest concern — there is enough talent here that I am not panicking — but unquestionably the position group where I have the least confidence that I know what Ohio State is going to get once the season starts.

Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is the easy part. The fifth-year defensive end was a bit of a surprise returner, but he has taken his place as a captain and gives Larry Johnson an experienced anchor on the edge. However, the Buckeyes lost an obscene amount of production around him. Caden Curry led Ohio State with 11 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss last season, while Kayden McDonald was a unanimous All-American and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. Those are not the types of players that you simply replace by moving the next guy up the depth chart.

Fortunately, Ohio State has attacked those losses with both talent and numbers. Beau Atkinson appears positioned to play a major role opposite Jackson in his second year as a Buckeye, with Zion Grady and Alabama transfer Qua Russaw also expected to get significant snaps at defensive end. Inside, Eddrick Houston, Alabama transfer James Smith, UCF transfer John Walker, OSU legacy Will Smith Jr., and others give Johnson more legitimate options than he has had in several years.

And that is ultimately what makes this such an interesting question for me. I like virtually all of those players individually, but I do not yet know whether all of those intriguing pieces add up to elite production. Can somebody replace Curry’s consistent pass rush? Can Smith, Walker, Houston, or another tackle provide the interior disruption that McDonald gave the defense? Or is this going to be a group that is very good across the board without having anyone who can completely take over a game?

Word throughout camp has been that the Buckeyes are exceptionally deep along the defensive line, and I expect Johnson to go back to his traditional rotating ways far more than he has in recent seasons. That could be an advantage, especially late in games, although I could see it reopening the longstanding debate about whether Johnson rotates too much and doesn’t let the best players in his room get enough snaps.

As usual, the truth is probably somewhere in between. A deep, fresh defensive line can be a major weapon, but depth only matters if the level of play remains high when the next wave comes into the game. I am optimistic that Ohio State has enough talent across the defensive line to make that happen; I am just not quite ready to guarantee that all of those talented pieces will replace the proven production that walked out the door.

What will Arthur Smith’s tight end usage actually look like?

Based on his 15 years in the NFL, we know that Arthur Smith likes to utilize his tight ends. What I do not think that we know is exactly what that is going to mean for an Ohio State offense that has one of the most talented wide receiver rooms in the country.

Smith has spent much of his coaching career utilizing heavier personnel, often using tight ends as receivers, blockers, fullbacks, and movable pieces designed to manipulate a defense before the snap. That certainly sounds like a natural fit for Nate Roberts, who was used in a similar hybrid role as a freshman last season, even though he caught only four passes for 30 yards.

The coaching staff has raved about Roberts practically since he arrived in Columbus, and I expect his role to expand significantly this fall. Behind him, though, the Buckeyes have largely rebuilt the position through transfers. Hunter Welcing arrives from Northwestern after catching 28 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns last season, Mason Williams comes over from Ohio, Bennett Christian returns, and there are other developmental options behind them.

So Smith certainly has enough tight ends to use all of the formations and personnel packages that he wants. The question is whether those guys are going to become major parts of the passing game or whether their real value will come from helping the offensive line.

As is always the case with teams as talented as OSU, there are only so many touches to go around. Jeremiah Smith needs the ball. Brandon Inniss is a veteran captain. Chris Henry Jr. will be a weapon from the jump. Bo Jackson and Isaiah West both deserve substantial workloads, and there are other talented backs and receivers waiting behind those guys.

That is why I do not particularly care whether Ohio State’s tight ends combine for 30 receptions or 70. What I care about is whether Smith uses them to make the offense more difficult to defend. If Roberts and Welcing can force opponents into heavier personnel, improve the running game, create favorable matchups off play action, and occasionally punish linebackers down the seam, then they can have an enormous impact without ever becoming featured pass catchers.

Smith loves tight ends, while Ohio State has spent the last decade building its offensive identity around elite wide receivers. Unfortunately, last season, we saw the problems that can come when a playcaller falls in love with his tight ends and 14-personnel to the detriment of the far more talented players on the offense.

So, I will be fascinated to see exactly what the new OC’s philosophy will be when it comes to scheme and personnel, especially in short yardage and the red zone. If Smith can get the benefits of his heavier personnel without taking touches away from the Buckeyes’ best playmakers, this offense could become one of the most difficult to defend in recent memory.

Will Ohio State’s special teams finally be special?

I have complained about this for years, and I will continue to do so until the Buckeyes give me a legitimate reason to stop. For a program with Ohio State’s resources, talent, and championship expectations, special teams have spent far too much of Ryan Day’s tenure feeling like an afterthought, rather than the venerated third phase of the game that both Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer preached.

I am not asking for Frank Beamer-era Virginia Tech here. I would just like to feel as if Ohio State occasionally gains an actual advantage from special teams. Now, I understand why Day’s philosophy has always been to play things safe. With offensive weapons like those he has stockpiled over the years, why take any risks on punt and kick returns?

So, I can at least understand why the default for any OSU returner is a fair catch. However, that doesn’t explain why Buckeye kickers haven’t been able to hit a field goal of consequence seemingly since Mike Nugent.

Fortunately, there does appear to be at least some somewhat encouraging news on that front in transfer kicker Connor Hawkins. The Baylor transfer made 18-of-22 field goals last season, including 3-of-4 from 50 yards or longer, with makes from 53, 53, and 54 yards, while also converting all 37 of his extra-point attempts. That gives Ohio State something it has not consistently had in recent seasons: a kicker who actually has a track record of consistently connecting on attempts longer than 25 yards.

There is enormous strategic value in knowing that crossing the opponent’s 35-yard line gives you a reasonable chance to come away with three points, especially against Texas, Oregon, USC, Michigan, and anybody else on the schedule good enough to make touchdowns difficult to come by. If Hawkins can turn stalled drives into points with regularity, that alone would make special teams more valuable than they have been in recent years.

The return game is where I remain more cautious. We did see Lorenzo Styles Jr. return a punt for a touchdown last season, the first time a Buckeye had done so in 15 years. However, Brandon Inniss handled most punt and kickoff returns last season, averaging 10.6 yards per punt return but just 13.2 on five kick returns. He is dependable, experienced, and clearly trusted by the coaching staff, but I would not mind seeing Ohio State experiment with somebody who brings a little more explosiveness.

Isaiah West would be fascinating. Chris Henry Jr. would be another intriguing option, especially if the Buckeyes are looking for ways to manufacture touches for a young player who might not immediately see enough of them on offense. Honestly, I do not particularly care who gets the job; I just want opposing teams to have to think twice before kicking the football to an Ohio State returner.

For a program that once prided itself on special teams play, and still requires young players to prove themselves on special teams before routinely getting snaps on offense or defense, that has not happened nearly enough under Day. The Buckeyes should once again have one of the best offenses in the country as well as an elite defense, so if they can finally turn field goals and returns into actual advantages rather than simply white knuckling them, this team becomes even harder to beat.

For once, I would like Ohio State’s special teams to actually be special.

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