Ohio State Turns to 2026

Ohio State’s reign as the National Champions officially came to an end Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium as the Indiana Hoosiers have become the new kings of college football. While Ohio State can take a little solace in the fact that it lost to the champions and runners-up for the only two losses on the year, it just means the Buckeyes are the shiniest losers on the year. Of course, Indiana lost to the national champions and runners-up last year, so that could bode well, right?

Regardless, Ohio State is now 0-0. The quest for the program’s 10th national title is on. Spring practices are set to kick off in a few weeks – the Buckeyes haven’t confirmed dates just yet – and we can truly look at what’s next.

Ohio State Turns to 2026

Who Will Call Plays?

As of January 20, we do not know who will be Ohio State’s offensive coordinator. Will Ryan Day go back to calling plays with an internal hire being named offensive coordinator in name only? Will that internal hire actually call plays? Or will he go the outside applicant route as he did with Bill O’Brien and Chip Kelly prior to the 2024 season?

There is an overwhelming fear that Day will just promote tight ends coach Kennan Bailey and/or offensive line coach Tyler Bowen to the role. To this point, Bailey has never called plays. Bowen has. At Fordham, Bowen was the offensive coordinator in 2016. Then, he became interim offensive coordinator and then co-offensive coordinator at Penn State in 2019 and 2020, respectively. After a one-year stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bowen served as the offensive coordinator for Virginia Tech for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons.

The expectation is that Day will be looking for his offensive coordinator soon, but there has been very little smoke indicating any individual. Brian Daboll is a popular pick, but he’s in the midst of offensive coordinator interviews in the NFL. The same pie-in-the-sky scenario goes for Mike McDaniel.

Time will tell. When something happens, we will have you covered here at Last Word.

Transfer Portal Haul

As of now, it seems like the Buckeyes are done adding via the transfer portal. So, in total, Ohio State is set to add 44 with transfers and incoming freshmen, all while losing 47 between the portal, NFL Draft, and graduation. In the portal, the Buckeyes added 16 players, each with varying expectations for 2026.

In total, the Buckeyes added a quarterback, a running back, two wide receivers, and two tight ends on offense. On defense, two defensive tackles, one defensive end, one linebacker, two safeties, and two corners are incoming. On special teams, Ohio State added a long snapper and a kicker.

A few new Buckeyes, like Terry Moore, Earl Little Jr., and Connor Hawkins, are expected to come in right away and contribute. We will have to see about players like Cam Calhoun, Devin McCuin, Kyle Parker, and Qua Russaw, and whether they can crack the rotation.

The Buckeyes have a solid recruiting class coming in, but college football is tilting toward veteran-laden squads succeeding. Time will tell, but Ohio State’s roster should have plenty of talent this fall.

Offensive Line Questions

If you polled Ohio State fans about concerns about next year, the offensive line would be toward the top. Bowen’s unit was great for the first 12 games of the year, and then was picked apart in the final two. Now, there will likely be four returning starters.

Austin Siereveld, Luke Montgomery, and Carson Hinzman spurned the NFL in favor of another season in the scarlet and gray. Right tackle Phillip Daniels is expected to be the fourth returning starter, so what happens at right guard?

Ohio State has a philosophy of playing the five best. There’s a non-zero chance Siereveld gets moved in favor of Ian Moore at left tackle. He came in against Miami and looked good, but he wasn’t the only one. Tegra Tsabola transferred to Kentucky, but he was the starter this year. Gabe VanSickle came in in relief, but it was Josh Padilla who looked the best of the unit.

Having experience on the offensive line is what will take the Ohio State offense up another level. If Ohio State has six players good enough to vie for five spots, it’s a good problem to have. Of course, it gets scary when you get to the depth. Bowen had to join the party later in the process, so now he will get a full offseason to get everything going.

A Tougher Schedule

Last year’s schedule was on the easier side. Michigan wasn’t that great, and Penn State fell off the face of the Earth. The only above-average team on the schedule was Texas. That fact reared its ugly head in the losses to Indiana and Miami.

Next year, it isn’t expected to be quite so easy. Obviously, looking at these teams in January could be different than looking at them in August. The order of the schedule is not set just yet, but there are a handful of good games ahead for the Buckeyes.

Game two of the home-and-home series with Texas awaits in Week 2. Arch Manning is unlikely to perform as poorly as he did in 2025. In the Big Ten, the Buckeyes get to face Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, and USC on the road, while hosting Illinois, Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon, and Michigan. It’s the first time since 1992 that Ohio State will not face Penn State.

Texas, Indiana, and Oregon can be expected to be championship-caliber again in 2026. Iowa, USC, Illinois, and Michigan should be solid at the very least. If Ohio State is going to win at least 10 regular-season games for the 13th straight non-COVID season, it will have to earn it.

Onto 2026

For the first time in ages, Ohio State will enter a season off a win against Michigan. However, in terms of its three big goals, another one-for-three outing should keep the program hungry for more.

The last time the Buckeyes beat Michigan, won the Big Ten, and won the National Championship was in 2014. The last time they managed two of three was in 2019.

There are reasons for optimism for next year. Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Bo Jackson should lead what should be a good offense. Assuming the Buckeyes keep the NFL away, Matt Patricia will be back with another rebuilt defense, which should be good again.

2026 shouldn’t be “natty or bust,” but things could look very different in 2027. Day should take advantage of what’s in front of him, starting with a strong Spring practice period.