Ohio State’s 2025 season gave the Buckeyes plenty to celebrate, from a national championship defense that largely delivered, to a quarterback who finished as a Heisman finalist, to the country’s best receiver working on the outside.
But as the program looks ahead to 2026, the loudest concern sits somewhere much less glamorous: the offensive line.
That group came apart late, and it was impossible to ignore. Ohio State’s front five struggled in back-to-back high-stakes games, first against Indiana in The 2025 Big Ten Championship Game and then against Miami in The 2025 Cotton Bowl. Those rough finishes sent the offseason conversation in a very different direction, turning the line into the biggest question mark on the roster.
The stakes are obvious. With a defense expected to stay dominant under coordinator Matt Patricia and a more experienced Julian Sayin leading the quarterback room, the Buckeyes know the difference between another deep postseason push and an early stumble could hinge on whether the protection up front holds together.
Ian Moore is suddenly right in the middle of that conversation.
A redshirt sophomore and former four-star tackle recruit who arrived in 2024, Moore spent his first two seasons developing behind more established linemen. Now he’s moved from background piece to real contender at tackle.
His 2025 season offered the first real look at what he can do. Moore played in all 14 games, mostly on special teams and in relief, and logged 230 snaps.
He made his first career start at right tackle against Purdue when Phillip Daniels was banged up, then got his biggest test in the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami, where he filled in at left tackle after Austin Siereveld went down with an injury. By most accounts, Moore handled that spot well enough for the moment and the opponent.
That showing mattered once spring practice opened. When Siereveld was out for the rest of spring after a minor surgery, Moore took over the first-team left tackle job and made a real push to keep it. Ryan Day said Moore has "gotten better" and now has "an opportunity to play himself into a starter role" for 2026.
That kind of movement changes the whole picture for Ohio State’s line. If Moore stays at left tackle, Siereveld could move to right guard, which is viewed as a strong fit for him, while Daniels and others battle for the remaining spots.
Inside the program, Moore is no longer being treated like simple depth. There’s a sense that his rise "could unlock the Buckeyes' entire offensive line."
That would be a welcome development for a unit that returns four starters from the group that faded at the end of 2025. Experience alone didn’t solve the problem last season.
Execution did. Moore gives Tyler Bowen more room to build the best five instead of settling for the lineup that happens to be standing there.
And Ohio State won’t have long to ease into the test. The week two trip to Texas is already looming, with Colin Simmons projected as one of the top edge rushers in college football. The full 2026 schedule is a grind, but that early matchup should tell the Buckeyes plenty about whether Moore is ready for the job.
If his spring momentum carries into the fall, Ohio State’s biggest storyline in 2026 may not be about the stars on the perimeter or under center. It may be about whether the five men up front can finally keep pace with them.
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