(Left) Lincoln Kienholz prepares to make a pass (right) Julian Sayin runs with the ball
Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
As fall camp winds down, the Buckeyes have their sights set on their Aug. 30 showdown with Texas. But before Ohio State can dive fully into game-planning mode, multiple position battles remain unsettled.
Head coach Ryan Day stressed the importance of this week of practice, with several depth chart spots still up for grabs.
“Some position battles are still going to go on,” Day said Monday. “This is a big week to take the next step for us.”
Here’s a look at three key position battles still playing out:
Quarterback
Following the departure of Will Howard, the biggest question lingering over fall camp is who will start under center in Week 1.
Sophomore Julian Sayin and junior Lincoln Kienholz have been locked in a tight competition. Both have shown promise, but Day said the coaching staff still needs more time and reps before making a final decision.
“There were positives on both ends. There were negatives on both ends,” Day said. “I won’t predict when we’ll make this decision, but we’re getting more and more information that we need.”
With both Sayin and Kienholz receiving heavy reps, Day emphasized the importance of having both prepared to play, especially with a high-profile opener on the horizon.
“There’s only so many reps in practice. We have to have them both ready to play in that first game,” he said. “As we get closer here, we’ll name a starter and go from there. But we’re going to need them both.”
While each quarterback has made strides, Day made it clear that consistency—not flashes of talent—will ultimately separate one from the other.
“You’re a pro or you’re a player,” Day said. “A player flashes, a pro does it the same way every time. We’ve seen guys flash. We need more consistency.”
Right Tackle
While the answer to who will be in the trenches becomes clearer as camp progresses, the biggest question that still remains comes at right tackle.
Transfers Phillip Daniels (Minnesota) and Ethan Onianwa (Rice) have shared first-team reps, and while both have shown potential, Day said the coaching staff has yet to determine who will win the job.
“There’s enough on film to lead us to believe that we can win with both,” Day said. “Who ends up starting? We’ll see.”
The other four offensive line spots appear more stable. Junior Austin Siereveld has begun working exclusively at left tackle, while Tegra Tshabola, Carson Hinzman and Luke Montgomery have taken the bulk of reps on the interior. Still, offensive line coach Tyler Bowen emphasized that nothing is finalized.
“I don’t know if it’s just a battle between them,” Bowen said of Daniels and Onianwa. “We still have ever-evolving battles within the group with guys that can play tackle, play guard. We’ve got to figure out that combination of the best five pretty quickly.”
Bowen has made versatility a priority during camp, regularly rotating linemen across positions. Players like Onianwa and Siereveld have taken snaps at multiple spots to find the five best linemen, regardless of where they start.
“Moving around’s great, but we’ve got to start honing in now,” Bowen said. “At some point we have to be able to line up and say, ‘I can trust a right tackle.’”
Safety
With Caleb Downs locked in as the leader of Ohio State’s secondary, the competition for the safety spot next to him remains open.
Junior Malik Hartford and sophomore Jaylen McClain have rotated through first-team reps, with sophomore Leroy Roker III also fighting for rotational time, as the coaching staff continues to evaluate the group. While no starter has been named, Day said Downs’ presence has helped elevate those around him.
“Caleb certainly runs the show back there,” Day said. “He communicates well, he has a certain level of confidence that I think rubs off on the other guys… that’s starting to show in both Jaylen and Malik and Leroy and the guys back there in their play.”
Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia praised the growth of the unit, pointing to the competition as a positive for long-term development.
“I feel like that room is really working,” Patricia said. “There are some good, young guys there who have the opportunity to kind of step up and contribute. Having that piece and moving that around is good for us to evaluate and see if, through the course of the season, we can do that.”
