You’re Nuts: Which Ohio State preseason camp battle is most interesting?

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We are a couple of weeks into Ohio State’s preseason camp, and some things are starting to take shape ahead of next month’s season opener against Ball State. There are also a number of questions still left to be answered for the Buckeyes over the next couple weeks. Head coach Ryan Day has given some updates on how players have progressed and who could be in position to win some of the starting jobs that are up for grabs, but he obviously doesn’t want to give everything away, especially with a matchup with Texas looming in the second game of the season.

While players like Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Carson Hinzman don’t have to worry about fighting for a starting spot, there are other position battles that have been interesting to follow so far during camp. Isaiah West is pushing Bo Jackson for carries at running back, a number of spots in the secondary are up for grabs with Caleb Downs, Davison Igbinosun, and Lorenzo Styles Jr. now in the NFL, and there is a heated battle for snaps at linebacker with Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles gone.

Today we want to know which Ohio State preseason camp battle is most interesting to you. Maybe the competition to see who will be the number two receiver behind Jeremiah Smith is entertaining. For others, it could be on the defensive side of the football since there will be a number of new starters this season. The one thing we know for sure is the Buckeyes at camp will be giving it their all since the expectations are high for Ryan Day’s team, as Ohio State is expected to contend for a national title this season.

Today’s question: Which Ohio State preseason camp battle is most interesting?

We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.

Brett’s answer: The backup quarterback competition

During the offseason, it seemed like a given that Tavien St. Clair was going to be Julian Sayin’s backup. The progression many Buckeye fans were expecting was that Sayin would be Ohio State’s quarterback this year, and then next year St. Clair would get the first crack at being the starting quarterback after Sayin left for the NFL. The sophomore passed for over 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns in high school in Bellefontaine, earning him a five-star recruiting ranking.

Heading into preseason camp, not many Ohio State fans had any idea who Luke Fahey was. The freshman was a four-star recruit coming out of California who passed for over 7,000 yards during his high school career. The biggest knock on Fahey is his height, as he measures 5-foot-11. Not that quarterbacks under six-foot can’t be successful in college football; it just often feels like they have to work even harder to get their shot to prove they belong.

What makes this battle even more interesting is the long-term implications it could have. If Fahey does end up beating out St. Clair for the backup spot, then what does it mean for St. Clair’s future at Ohio State? In that case, it feels like St. Clair would end up hitting the transfer portal at the end of the season. After being seen as the heir apparent to Sayin, St. Clair not winning the backup quarterback job would certainly throw a wrench into the projected progression at the position over the next few years.

If St. Clair gets beat out by Fahey and hits the transfer portal at the end of the season, does that in turn force Ryan Day to also look to the portal to find next year’s starting quarterback? That’s what makes this camp battle so interesting: even though it’s between two guys who won’t play much this season, it could have a massive impact on the Buckeyes over the next few seasons.

Matt’s answer: The offensive line construction

There are certainly sexier answers to this question. Wide receiver has Devin McCuin, Chris Henry Jr., Brandon Inniss and others fighting for snaps alongside Jeremiah Smith. Running back has become far more interesting than expected, with Isaiah West reportedly making a legitimate push to turn what looked like Bo Jackson’s backfield into more of a 1A-1B situation.

But for me, the most interesting battle in preseason camp is along the offensive line, specifically because it isn’t really one battle at all. It is a giant, 1,500-pound game of Tetris in which Ryan Day, Tyler Bowen, and Arthur Smith are trying to determine not only which five linemen should start, but where each of them should play.

Carson Hinzman at center and Luke Montgomery at left guard appear to be the constants, but virtually everything else has remained fluid. Austin Siereveld and Ian Moore have been competing at left tackle, while the Buckeyes also have decisions to make at right guard and right tackle. Day said after the first scrimmage that the staff still needed to sort through exactly who the five starters would be and where they would line up, with Siereveld missing a few practices last week further complicating that evaluation.

That makes this fascinating because the question isn’t as simple as, “Is Moore better than Siereveld?” If Moore proves trustworthy enough at tackle, Ohio State could potentially move Siereveld inside, where his combination of size, athleticism, and experience could make an already veteran interior even better. If Siereveld is clearly one of the Buckeyes’ two best tackles, however, then the coaching staff has to determine whether the marginal improvement outside is worth whatever tradeoff it creates elsewhere.

And considering how 2025 ended, these aren’t exactly academic questions. Ohio State’s offensive line allowed 10 sacks combined in the losses to Indiana and Miami to close the season, turning what had generally been a productive offensive year into an incredibly frustrating finish. With Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Jackson, West, and an absurdly deep collection of receivers and tight ends, there is very little reason to believe this offense should struggle to score points in 2026; in fact, I think there is an argument to be made that it has the makings of Day’s best offense at Ohio State. However, that could all end up being for naught if the offensive line prevents all of Ohio State’s impressive weapons from functioning at full capability.

That’s why I’m watching the offensive line more closely than any other competition in camp. Ohio State isn’t searching for five capable players; Day has repeatedly indicated that he believes the Buckeyes have enough quality options. The real battle is to find the right combination of those players. And if the Buckeyes get that puzzle right, it might be the final piece necessary to turn an incredibly talented offense into the best one Ryan Day has ever had.

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