Ohio State’s running back room enters 2026 with a lot less room for excuses than it had a year ago.
For most of the 2025 season, the Buckeyes got dazzling production from Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, but the ground game lagged badly until late in the year, when Ryan Day took over and Bo Jackson began to look like maybe the best back in the Big Ten. That’s the USF Bulls’ problem now on the Hartline front.
The setup looks different this time around. Arthur Smith is set to handle play-calling in 2026, and that alone gives Ohio State a better chance to get the run game moving. CBS Sports’ Blake Brockermeyer also sees real strength in the interior of the offensive line, where Austin Siereveld is moving from left tackle to right guard and joining center Carson Hinzman and left guard Luke Montgomery.
Brockermeyer is more cautious about Ian Moore at left tackle, but he does think right tackle Phillip Daniels could end up as the highest-drafted lineman in Scarlet and Gray. The interior, though, is where he sees the foundation.
"The strength of the unit is the interior, anchored by Carson Hinzman, who has logged nearly 2,200 career snaps. Hinzman is a steady, dependable player who excels in pass protection and thrives in Ohio State's zone-running schemes," Brockermeyer wrote.
"Returning starters Luke Montgomery and Austin Siereveld boast more than 2,500 combined career snaps. Montgomery is a tough, blue-collar player, while Siereveld slides inside from left tackle and should provide a boost to the running game. Based on last season's tape, he's one of the nation's better run blockers."
If that holds, the Buckeyes should be in business.
The case for a better Ohio State rushing attack doesn’t stop with the line. Smith’s arrival matters, especially after what he did with Derrick Henry on the Tennessee Titans. That résumé buys him plenty of trust when it comes to getting more out of running backs, and he’ll be doing it against defenses that are a step below the level he’s dealt with before.
There’s also more depth in the room now. Jackson is the clear RB1 for the moment, with Isaiah West right behind him.
Legend Bey brings what might be the highest ceiling on the roster. Florida Gators transfer Ja'Kobi Jackson looks like a potential sleeper depth piece, and Anthony “Turbo” Rogers and Favour Akih both have the athletic traits to turn into surprise contributors early.
Put it all together and Ohio State has a backfield that should be able to take a real step forward after a mostly quiet 2025. The personnel is there, the scheme fits, and the interior line has the chance to be a real asset.
Now it’s on the backs to turn that into production. The Buckeyes will find out soon enough, with about a month and a half left before the season arrives.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Took Another Major Hit Behind The Scenes
Michigans athletic department is dealing with another round of turbulence after reports surfaced that athletic director Warde Manuel is expected to depart at the end of the calendar year. The move comes in the wake of an outside investigation into the departments culture, a review that was commissioned internally but whose findings have not been made public.
For Ohio State, the story lands as a familiar contrast to the one up north. The Buckeyes have built their athletic department on stability and continuity, and while Michigan sorts through the fallout from a behind-the-scenes review, Ohio State remains the program pointing to a cleaner recent track record and far fewer distractions. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State May Finally Have An Answer To Its Biggest 2026 Concern
Ohio State spent the final stretch of the 2025 season with its offensive line looking like the clearest concern on the roster, and that unease has carried straight into the offseason. The Buckeyes need more stability up front in 2026, especially at left tackle, where the combination of injuries and uneven play left the staff searching for a cleaner answer.
Ian Moore is starting to look like that answer. The redshirt sophomore, a former four-star recruit who logged relief snaps in 2025, has put himself in position to compete for the first-team job at left tackle, and Ryan Day has been encouraged by his development. If Moore keeps trending the way Ohio State hopes, it could do more than settle one spot - it could give the Buckeyes the flexibility to reshape the rest of the line around him. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Just Hit The Urban Meyer Comparison Fans Dread
Ryan Days place in Ohio State history has become a little harder to frame lately, because the comparison everyone in Columbus knows by heart is starting to look more uncomfortable than flattering. Through seven seasons apiece, Day and Urban Meyer have built remarkably similar rsums at Ohio State, with both coaches delivering a national championship and multiple Big Ten crowns while navigating very different versions of college football.
The deeper context matters, of course, because Day has had to coach through the COVID-19 season, a changing transfer portal landscape and a sport that keeps shifting under his feet. Still, when a Buckeyes coach gets measured against Meyer, the conversation always circles back to what separates good from great, and Days next stretch will keep deciding whether he is closing that gap or getting trapped inside it. [Read more 🡒]