2026 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

2026 Ohio State Buckeyes football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	0–0 (0–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	Ryan Day (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	TBD (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Keenan Bailey (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Spread option
Defensive coordinator	Matt Patricia (2nd season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Tim Walton (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Ohio Stadium
Seasons ←  2025 2027 →

2026 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Illinois		0	–	0					0	–	0
Indiana		0	–	0					0	–	0
Iowa		0	–	0					0	–	0
Maryland		0	–	0					0	–	0
Michigan		0	–	0					0	–	0
Michigan State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Minnesota		0	–	0					0	–	0
Nebraska		0	–	0					0	–	0
Northwestern		0	–	0					0	–	0
Ohio State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Oregon		0	–	0					0	–	0
Penn State		0	–	0					0	–	0
Purdue		0	–	0					0	–	0
Rutgers		0	–	0					0	–	0
UCLA		0	–	0					0	–	0
USC		0	–	0					0	–	0
Washington		0	–	0					0	–	0
Wisconsin		0	–	0					0	–	0
Championship: December 5, 2026
As of January 22, 2026 Rankings from AP poll

The 2026 Ohio State Buckeyes football team will represent the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference (B1G) during the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They will be led by eighth-year head coach Ryan Day, and play their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. It will be the Buckeyes' 137th  season overall and 114th as a member of the Big Ten. Their first game will be against Ball State at Ohio Stadium.

Offseason

Positions key

Offense	Defense	Special teams
QB — Quarterback RB — Running back FB — Fullback WR — Wide receiver TE — Tight end OL — Offensive lineman T — Tackle G — Guard C — Center	DL — Defensive lineman DE — Defensive end [a] DT — Defensive tackle [b] LB — Linebacker [c] DB — Defensive back CB — Cornerback S — Safety [d]	K — Kicker [e] P — Punter LS — Long snapper RS — Return specialist [f]
Sometimes referred to as an edge rusher (EDGE) Includes nose tackle (NT) Includes middle linebacker (MLB or MIKE), outside linebacker (OLB, WILL, SAM), and off-ball linebacker Includes free safety (FS) and strong safety (SS) Also known as a placekicker (PK) Includes kickoff and punt returners

Coaching staff changes

Departures

Name	Position	New team	New position
Brian Hartline	Offensive coordinator	South Florida	Head coach

Additions

Name	Position	Previous team	Previous position

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2026 NFL draft

Round	Pick	NFL team	Player	Position

Transfers

Outgoing

Player	Number	Position	Height	Weight	Class	Hometown	New school

Incoming

Player	Number	Position	Height	Weight	Class	Hometown	Previous school

Recruiting class

Main article: 2026 college football recruiting class

College recruiting information (2026)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
			N/A	N/A
	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 0    247Sports: 0    ESPN: 0
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2026 Ohio State Football Commitment List". Rivals. Retrieved January 19, 2026. "2026 Ohio State Football Commitment List". ESPN. Retrieved January 19, 2026. "2026 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2026. "Ohio State 2026 Football Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved January 19, 2026.

Recruiting class rankings

Website	National rank	Conference rank	5 star recruits	4 star recruits	3 star recruits	Total

Walk-ons

Player	Number	Position	Height	Weight	Class	Hometown	Previous school

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result
September 5	TBD	Ball State *	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio	TBD
September 12	TBD	at Texas *	Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, Texas	TBD
September 19	TBD	Kent State *	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio	TBD
October 17	TBD	at Indiana	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, Indiana	TBD
TBD	TBD	at Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, Iowa	TBD
TBD	TBD	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium Lincoln, Nebraska	TBD
TBD	TBD	Illinois	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio (Illibuck)	TBD
TBD	TBD	Maryland	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio	TBD
TBD	TBD	Michigan	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio (The Game)	TBD
TBD	TBD	Northwestern	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio	TBD
TBD	TBD	Oregon	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio	TBD
TBD	TBD	at USC	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, California	TBD
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time Source: [1] [2]

Rankings

Further information: 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP
Coaches
CFP	Not released																Not released

Personnel

Roster

2026 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 Brandon Inniss  (C) Jr QB 3 Lincoln Kienholz Jr WR 4 Jeremiah Smith So WR 5 Mylan Graham So QB 6 Eli Brickhandler GS WR 7 Phillip Bell Fr WR 8 De'Zie Jones Fr QB 9 Tavien St. Clair Fr QB 10 Julian Sayin So WR 11 Quincy Porter Fr RB 12 CJ Donaldson Sr WR 13 Bryson Rodgers Jr QB 14 Trey Robinette Fr TE 15 Jelani Thurman Jr QB 16 Mason Maggs Sr WR 17 Carnell Tate Jr WR 18 Bodpegn Miller Fr RB 20 James Peoples So RB 21 Anthony "Turbo" Rogers Fr WR 23 Nolan Baudo Jr RB 24 Sam Dixon So RB 25 Bo Jackson Fr QB 26 Kolton Stover Fr RB 28 Stanley Jackson Jr. So WR 30 Preston Wolfe So RB 32 Isaiah West Fr WR 34 Brennen Schramm Jr OL 51 Luke Montgomery Jr OL 56 Isaiah Kema Fr OL 57 Ian Gecse Jr OL 58 Gabe VanSickle So OL 62 Joshua Padilla Jr OL 63 Julian Goines-Jackson Sr OL 64 Simon Lorentz So OL 65 Justin Terry So OL 67 Austin Siereveld  (C) Jr OL 69 Ian Moore So OL 70 Phillip Daniels Jr OL 71 Jayvon McFadden Fr OL 72 Deontae Armstrong So OL 73 Devontae Armstrong So OL 74 Carter Lowe Fr OL 75 Carson Hinzman Sr OL 76 Jake Cook Fr OL 77 Tegra Tshabola Sr OT 78 Ethan Onianwa Sr WR 80 Shawn Lodge Sr WR 81 Damarion Witten So WR 82 David Adolph Sr TE 83 Nate Roberts Fr WR 84 Dorian Williams So TE 85 Bennett Christian Sr TE 86 Max Klare Jr TE 87 Brody Lennon Fr TE 88 Maxence LeBlanc So TE 89 Will Kacmarek GS	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 0 Sonny Styles  (C) Sr CB 1 Davison Igbinosun Sr S 2 Caleb Downs  (C) Jr CB 3 Lorenzo Styles Jr. GS CB 5 Aaron Scott Jr. So CB 6 Devin Sanchez Fr CB 7 Jermaine Mathews Jr. Jr LB 8 Arvell Reese Jr S 9 Malik Hartford Jr S 10 Faheem Delane Fr LB 11 C. J. Hicks Sr CB 12 Bryce West So CB 13 Miles Lockhart So DL 14 Beau Atkinson Sr DL 15 Zion Grady Fr DB 16 Keenan Nelson Jr. Sr LB 17 Tarvos "TJ" Alford Fr S 18 Jaylen McClain So CB 19 Jordyn Woods Fr LB 20 Riley Pettijohn Fr LB 21 Brenten "Inky" Jones Sr LB 23 Garrett Stover So S 24 Deshawn Stewart Fr LB 25 Ty Howard Sr LB 26 Payton Pierce So S 28 Leroy Roker III So DB 29 Glorien Gough Jr S 30 Cody Haddad Fr S 32 JJ Sebert So LB 33 Eli Lee Fr CB 34 Buakri Miles Jr. So S 35 Jaystin Gwinn Fr LB 37 Zach Hayes So LB 38 Eli Riggs So LB 39 Joey Velazquez GS CB 43 Dianté Griffin Sr DE 44 Epi Sitanilei Fr S 46 Ryan Rudzinski Jr DL 48 Logan George Jr S 49 Gavin Thobe Fr LB 50 Alec DelSignore Jr DE 52 Joshua Mickens Jr DL 53 Will Smith Jr. Jr LB 54 Dylan Furshman Fr DE 55 Dominic Kirks So DL 59 Ahmed Tounkara So DL 88 Trajen Odom Fr DL 90 Eric Mensah So DL 91 Jarquez Carter Fr DE 92 Caden Curry Sr DT 93 Maxwell Roy Fr DL 94 Jason Moore Jr DT 95 Tywone Malone Jr. GS DE 96 Eddrick Houston So DE 97 Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Sr DL 98 Kayden McDonald Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 19 Nick McLarty So LS 35 Collin Johnson Sr K 38 Jayden Fielding Sr LS 41 Grant Mills So P 42 Joe McGuire Jr LS 43 John Ferlmann GS K 96 Jackson Courville Jr	Head coach Ryan Day Coordinators/assistant coaches TBD – Offensive coordinator/wide receivers Matt Patricia – Defensive coordinator Tim Walton – Assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/secondary/cornerbacks Keenan Bailey – Co-offensive coordinator/tight ends Matt Guerrieri – Safeties/pass game coordinator Tyler Bowen – Offensive line/run game coordinator Larry Johnson – Associate head coach/defensive line James Laurinaitis – Linebackers Carlos Locklyn – Running backs Billy Fessler – Quarterbacks Mickey Marotti – Associate AD/director of football sport performance Rob Keys – Special teams coordinator Sam McGrath – Assistant linebackers Michael Hunter – Assistant defensive backs Gunner Daniel – Program assistant - special teams Devin Jordan – Program assistant - wide receivers Joshua Chorba – Program assistant - linebackers Tony Johnson – Analyst - running backs Charlie Dickey – Program assistant - offensive line Marcus Johnson – Assistant offensive line Wendy Laurent – Assistant tight ends Austin Fields – Quality control - offense Tim Hinton – Executive director for football relations/special assistant to the head coach Billy Yates – Quality control - defense Taver Johnson – Analyst - defensive backs Miguel Patrick – Quality control - defense Nate Ebner – Quality control - special teams Colin Keanu – Program assistant - quarterbacks Tony Washington – Program assistant - defensive line Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: August 6, 2025

Depth chart

Defense S 3 Lorenzo Styles Jr. 12 Bryce West 13 Miles Lockhart FS 18 Jaylen McClain 28 Leroy Roker III 9 Malik Hartford WLB SLB 0 Sonny Styles 8 Arvell Reese 20 Riley Pettijohn 26 Payton Pierce 17 Tarvos "TJ" Alford 23 Garrett Stover SS 2 Caleb Downs 10 Faheem Delane – CB 1 Davison Igbinosun 5 Aaron Scott Jr. – DE DT DT DE 97 Kenyatta Jackson Jr. 95 Tywone Malone Jr. 98 Kayden McDonald 92 Caden Curry 15 Zion Grady 96 Eddrick Houston 53 Will Smith Jr. 14 Beau Atkinson 11 C. J. Hicks 91 Jarquez Carter 94 Jason Moore 52 Joshua Mickens CB 7 Jermaine Mathews Jr. 6 Devin Sanchez – Offense WR 4 Jeremiah Smith 5 Mylan Graham – WR 1 Brandon Inniss 13 Bryson Rodgers 7 Phillip Bell LT LG C RG RT 67 Austin Siereveld 51 Luke Montgomery 75 Carson Hinzman 77 Tegra Tshabola 70 Phillip Daniels 69 Ian Moore 58 Gabe VanSickle 56 Isaiah Kema 78 Ethan Onianwa 65 Justin Terry 74 Carter Lowe 76 Jake Cook 64 Simon Lorentz 62 Joshua Padilla 72 Deontae Armstrong TE 86 Max Klare 89 Will Kacmarek 85 Bennett Christian WR 17 Carnell Tate 11 Quincy Porter 82 David Adolph QB 10 Julian Sayin 3 Lincoln Kienholz 9 Tavien St. Clair Key reserves Out (season) RB 21 Anthony "Turbo" Rogers RB 24 Sam Dixon WR 18 Bodpegn Miller TE 15 Jelani Thurman TE 83 Nate Roberts DE 44 Epi Sitanilei DE 52 Joshua Mickens DE 55 Dominic Kirks DT 90 Eric Mensah DT 93 Maxwell Roy WLB 25 Ty Howard CB 43 Dianté Griffin RB 25 Bo Jackson 32 Isaiah West 20 James Peoples Special teams PK 38 Jayden Fielding PK 96 Jackson Courville P 42 Joe McGuire P 19 Nick McLarty KR 1 Brandon Inniss PR 1 Brandon Inniss LS 43 John Ferlmann H 42 Joe McGuire

As of November 29, 2025. Depth chart

Statistics

Team

Ohio State Opp   Points per game Total First downs   Rushing   Passing   Penalty Rushing yards   Avg per rush   Avg per game   Rushing touchdowns Passing yards 1,958 919   Att-Comp-Int   Avg per pass   Avg per game   Passing touchdowns Total offense   Avg per play   Avg per game Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards   Avg per game Punts-Yards   Avg per punt Time of possession/Game 3rd down conversions 3rd Down Pct. 4th down conversions 4th Down Pct. Sacks-Yards Touchdowns scored Field goals-Attempts PAT-Attempts

Individual leaders

Offense

Passing statistics
#	NAME	POS	RAT	CMP	ATT	YDS	AVG/G	CMP%	TD	INT	LONG

Rushing statistics
#	NAME	POS	ATT	GAIN	AVG	TD	LONG	AVG/G

Receiving statistics
#	NAME	POS	CTH	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	AVG/G

Defense

Defense statistics

Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FR: Fumbles Recovered, FF: Forced Fumbles, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties, TD : Touchdown

Special teams

Kicking statistics

Kickoff statistics
#	NAME	POS	KICKS	YDS	AVG	TB	OB

Punting statistics
#	NAME	POS	PUNTS	YDS	AVG	LONG	TB	FC	I–20	50+	BLK

Kick return statistics
#	NAME	POS	RTNS	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG

Punt return statistics
#	NAME	POS	RTNS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG

Scoring

Ohio State vs. non-conference opponents

1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 0 0 0 0 0 Opponents 0 0 0 0 0

Ohio State vs. Big Ten opponents

1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 0 0 0 0 0 Opponents 0 0 0 0 0

Ohio State vs. all opponents

1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 0 0 0 0 0 Opponents 0 0 0 0 0

References

1. "2026 Ohio State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 15, 2025.
2. "2026-27 Football Schedule". Ohio State Buckeyes . Retrieved December 15, 2025.