Ohio State
Published August 9, 2026 at 1:44 PM · 7 pages
Where Ohio State stands right now: form, injuries and availability, roster movement, practice notes, and what coaches and media are actually saying.
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C O L L E G E F O O T B A L L T E A M R E P O R T Ohio State Buckeyes 2026 Season G E N E R A T E D A U G U S T 9 , 2 0 2 6 0 1 : 3 5 P M I N T H I S R E P O R T 01 Overall Outlook 02 Visual Analytics 03 The Season: Played and Projected 04 Practice Notes 05 Roster News 06 Injury Report 07 What the Media Is Saying 08 What the Coaches Are Saying
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01 OVERALL OUTLOOK Where the program stands on Aug. 9, 2026: zero games played, one consensus preseason No. 1 ranking, and a set of questions that will decide whether the ratings hold or buckle. Ohio State is 0-0, which is the only part of this section not open to interpretation. The preseason numbers are unambiguous about the ceiling: FPI rates the Buckeyes 28.68, No. 1 in the country, with the eighth-toughest schedule and the eighth-toughest remaining slate in FBS 1. The returning-production math is equally kind — 68.3% of last season's total production by PPA returns, including 94% of the passing production 1. The polling and betting markets agree: preseason No. 1 in the coaches poll 28 and a national championship favorite before a snap is played 27. But numbers without games are just a mood ring, and the mood in Columbus is more complicated than the rating suggests. The FPI says this is the best roster in America; Ryan Day said after the first practice that the offensive line — four returning starters included — is a key concern 26. That tension is the season in miniature. Three things will decide whether the Buckeyes cash the ticket. First, whether the line congeals before the Week 2 trip to Austin, because the projection models treat that Texas game as a literal coin flip (48.2% win probability, -0.6 projected margin) 1. Second, whether Julian Sayin grows from a 77%-completion Heisman finalist into the "CEO" role national coverage demands 29 without losing the downfield aggression that got him there. Third, whether a reconstructed backfield — Isaiah West leapfrogging 1,000-yard freshman Bo Jackson in camp 10 — gives new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith the running game his offense is built around. The projected 10.1 wins say the floor is high 1. The camp reporting says the ceiling depends on the five guys up front 1113. 02 VISUAL ANALYTICS Generated directly from the CollegeFootballData feeds for this matchup. The same visuals appear on every report, so numbers can be compared like- for-like from one game to the next. SEASON RESULTS · Scoring margin for every completed game. Wins are in the team's color, losses in the contrast color, so blowouts and near-misses are separable at a glance. EFFICIENCY PROFILE · Every advanced metric converted to a national percentile against all FBS teams, so the outer ring is always better regardless of which way the raw stat runs. Ohio State Buckeyes · 2026 · Team Report Page 2 of 7
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FORM TREND · Week-by-week predicted points added on both sides of the ball. This is where a team trending up or sliding shows through, which season averages hide. TOP INDIVIDUAL IMPACT · The players who have actually moved the needle this season. Cross-reference against the injury and roster sections. THE ROAD AHEAD · Projected margin for every remaining game, from the SP+/FPI/Elo consensus with home-field advantage — the same baseline the matchup reports use. Bars below zero are games the ratings say this team should lose. 03 THE SEASON: PLAYED AND PROJECTED What has happened and what the ratings say happens next — completed results first, then every remaining projection. Because this report is generated on Aug. 9, 2026, the completed-results table is empty by definition: the season does not begin until Sept. 5, when Ball State visits Columbus 3. Ohio State Buckeyes · 2026 · Team Report Page 3 of 7
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WEEK OPPONENT H/A RESULT SCORE — No games played — — — There is no game tape to analyze and no margin to chart — the 2026 season has not started. The schedule that matters is the one ahead, and it opens gently (Ball State, Kent State) before the first referendum: a Week 2 trip to Austin to face Texas, which preseason coverage frames as the flip side of the 2025 matchup 4. Everything about the first month is a setup for that one game. WEEK OPPONENT SITE PROJ. MARGIN WIN PROB. 1 Ball State Home +48.4 100.0% 2 Texas Away -0.6 48.2% 3 Kent State Home +49.0 100.0% 4 Illinois Home +24.8 96.7% 5 Iowa Away +15.7 87.8% 6 Maryland Home +30.1 98.7% 7 Indiana Away +3.1 59.1% 9 USC Away +9.3 75.5% 10 Oregon Home +5.8 66.6% 11 Northwestern Home +29.7 98.6% 12 Nebraska Away +17.4 90.1% 13 Michigan Home +15.2 87.0% Projected margins are the mean of SP+, FPI and Elo rating gaps with home-field advantage applied — the same baseline rendered in the Road Ahead chart — so treat them as ratings-based estimates, not promises 1. The model projects 10.1 wins from the remaining 12 games, which is its polite way of saying Ohio State should drop about two somewhere 1; the projected final record lands around 10-2. The likeliest stumble is Week 2: Texas is the only game with a negative projected margin and a sub- 50% win probability 1. The stretch that actually decides the season is Oct. 17 through Nov. 7 — at Indiana, at USC, home vs. Oregon — three games the model rates between 59% and 76% 1, with an open date (no week-8 game) before the LA trip. Indiana at 59.1% is the quiet landmine 1; Oregon at 66.6% is the home game that will shape playoff seeding 1. Michigan, per the model, is a comfortable 87% favorite 1 — which is precisely the kind of line this rivalry has historically enjoyed converting into a public beheading. No graded prediction record exists for this team's games yet, so there is no scorecard of past projection success to keep us honest — zero graded predictions logged 1. The projections are clean, and unfortunately, so are we. 04 PRACTICE NOTES What camp reporting shows: who is winning reps, who is limited, and where the install is headed. No scrimmage results were logged in the reporting window. The defining story of August camp is the backfield. Isaiah West took first-team reps over Bo Jackson — a 1,000-yard freshman — during team periods on the first day of camp 1016; RotoWire's camp report summarized it the same way, with Jackson opening with the second-team offense 21. Day confirmed West had "a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building" 12. Context matters: both backs had January shoulder surgeries and missed spring practice 22, so every August rep is their first full- speed football in months, and the "if healthy" caveat attached to Jackson's breakout sophomore projection 25 has quietly morphed into a genuine competition. Freshman Legend Bey then missed the first two days with a team-rules violation 1230, returned to the field 15, and Florida transfer Ja'Kobi Jackson keeps getting mentioned as a sure contributor 14. The room is four deep and the depth chart is a rumor. Oh, and one more subplot: Day has used the word "X-factor" in a way that suggests he believes someone in this building is about to become a problem for the rest of the Big Ten 7. The offensive line, meanwhile, is being held together with combinations. Day's first-team look slid Austin Siereveld from left tackle to right guard, with Ian Moore at left tackle 11; the next iteration had Siereveld back at left tackle and Joshua Padilla at right tackle 13. Day called the line the key concern after practice one 26, and the battle is plainly unsettled, with Luke Montgomery, Carson Hinzman and Phillip Daniels the returning constants around whoever ends up at the tackles 13. Elsewhere, Devin McCuin has stamped himself the favorite for the receiver spot opposite Jeremiah Smith, ahead of five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. and LSU transfer Kyle Parker 18; Dominick Kelly's early first-team defensive reps were one of camp's biggest surprises 10; and in a late- week practice the defense won the day while Sayin stayed sharp 15. On special teams, Jayden Fielding remains the kicker 19, while Day named true freshman Nick McLarty the starting punter for the opener 17. Ohio State Buckeyes · 2026 · Team Report Page 4 of 7
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05 ROSTER NEWS Non-injury movement only: the verified portal ledger first, then depth-chart and roster decisions reported out of camp. Transfer portal — incoming (17): PLAYER POS. FROM STARS Terry Moore S Duke 4 James Smith DL Alabama 4 Qua Russaw EDGE Alabama 4 Earl Little Jr. S Florida State 4 Hunter Welcing TE Northwestern 4 Dominick Kelly CB Georgia 4 Ja'Kobi Jackson RB Florida 3 Cam Calhoun CB Alabama 3 Christian Alliegro LB Wisconsin 3 Kyle Parker WR LSU 3 John Walker DL UCF 3 Justyn Martin QB Maryland 3 Devin McCuin WR UTSA 3 Vasean Washington OT Dartmouth 3 Mason Williams TE Ohio 3 Connor Hawkins K Baylor 3 Dalton Riggs LS UCF — Transfer portal — outgoing (30): PLAYER POS. DESTINATION STARS Quincy Porter WR Notre Dame 4 Tegra Tshabola IOL Kentucky 4 Mylan Graham WR Notre Dame 4 Faheem Delane S LSU 4 Lincoln Kienholz QB Louisville 3 Jelani Thurman TE North Carolina 3 James Peoples RB Penn State 3 Aaron Scott Jr. CB Oregon 3 C.J. Hicks EDGE South Florida 3 Jarquez Carter DL Miami 3 Trajen Odom DL Arkansas 3 Dominic Kirks EDGE Northwestern 3 Joshua Mickens EDGE UConn 3 Jayvon McFadden IOL Colorado 3 Bryson Rodgers WR South Florida 3 Logan George EDGE Washington 3 Bryce West CB Wisconsin 3 Sam Dixon RB South Carolina 3 Eric Mensah DL Virginia Tech 3 Bodpegn Miller WR Washington 3 Malik Hartford S UCLA 3 Ohio State Buckeyes · 2026 · Team Report Page 5 of 7
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Devontae Armstrong IOL Miami (OH) 3 Maxwell Roy DL UCLA 3 Justin Terry OT Virginia Tech 3 Cody Haddad S Iowa 3 Damarion Witten WR Miami (OH) 3 Isaiah Kema IOL Utah 3 Ahmed Tounkara DL Western Michigan 3 Diante Griffin CB Ball State 3 Grant Mills LS Massachusetts — The ledger explains most of the camp battles. Sending two four-star receivers — Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham — to Notre Dame is why the WR2 question exists at all 1318; losing Tegra Tshabola to Kentucky is why Siereveld is auditioning at guard 11; Lincoln Kienholz's exit to Louisville opened the backup quarterback question on Day's list 26, with Maryland transfer Justyn Martin arriving as the answer. The incoming class tilts hard toward the secondary and defensive line — Terry Moore, Earl Little Jr., Dominick Kelly, Cam Calhoun, James Smith, Qua Russaw — which reads as a direct response to a defense that lost All-American safety Caleb Downs 27 and then watched Faheem Delane, Malik Hartford and Bryce West leave through the portal. The camp decisions follow the same logic: West has taken over first-team RB reps from Jackson 16; Bey was briefly sidelined for conduct detrimental to the team 1630 and has since returned 15; McCuin has emerged opposite Jeremiah Smith 18; the offensive line keeps reconfiguring 1113; and McLarty was named starting punter, over an earlier camp item that had Joe McGuire remaining in the job — contradictory reporting that Day's later announcement overrode 1719. The roster Ohio State will actually field against Ball State is still being written, and the portal wire is the blueprint. 06 INJURY REPORT Medical items only — two separate inputs, kept distinct by source. Live web research (retrieved Aug. 9, 2026): No qualifying injury or availability news for current players was published within the 14-day reporting window, so no items are reportable. Injury feed (RotoWire): The stored injury feed contains no current availability items for Ohio State within the same window 2. 07 WHAT THE MEDIA IS SAYING National and local coverage, analyst takes, rankings movement and betting-market sentiment from the past two weeks. The national tone is coronation with caveats. Sporting News frames Ohio State as national championship favorites behind Sayin and Jeremiah Smith while noting the secondary lost All-American Caleb Downs 27; Kirk Herbstreit has spent airtime on what Arthur Smith's run-first NFL background means for an offense that should be a passing circus, with Ohio State sitting No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll 28. The local press is less celebratory: NBC Sports and the Columbus Dispatch both led with Day calling the offensive line a key concern 2611, and 247Sports treated the West-over-Jackson backfield shake-up as camp's most significant development 10. The Texas game is already being teed up as a role-reversal sequel to last year's meeting 4. The Sayin coverage has a specific shape: everyone agrees he is a returning Heisman finalist who completed 77% of his passes for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns — and everyone agrees that is not the point 5. Yahoo's piece argues he has to become the "CEO," not just the quarterback 29; 247Sports reports he is "not wasting the opportunity" of being Ryan Day's third returning starting quarterback 5. There is an undercurrent of impatience in all of it — the pieces keep noting last season ended with losses to Indiana and Miami 5, which is the polite way of saying the national title favorite did not finish the job. The betting market does not care: Ohio State sits at or near the top of the championship board 27, and the model's 10.1-win projection 1 is the number everyone will be trying to beat either way. The media consensus in one sentence: the talent is a lock, the seasoning is not. 08 WHAT THE COACHES ARE SAYING Direct quotes from Ryan Day during fall camp and media appearances — attributed to who said it and when. No coordinator availabilities fell within the reporting window. Ryan Day has been the only voice out of the football building in this stretch. On the running back competition, Day said of West: "He had a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building. When he was in there last year, he showed some real good things, so we want him to take the next step" 12. On freshman Legend Bey's absence, Day said: "He won't practice the first couple of days. He had a little violation of team rules. He's learning, but he will be back on the field soon" 30. On the offensive line after practice one: "Well, I think we all wanna see how the offensive line shakes out here, that's for sure" 12. On the tight ends, he Ohio State Buckeyes · 2026 · Team Report Page 6 of 7
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was deliberately noncommittal: "I think the tight end room is an interesting room. I think that we do have some depth there, but who's actually gonna take the majority of those reps?" 12. The rest of Day's messaging is about the new infrastructure. Explaining the hires of Matt Patricia and Arthur Smith on The Pat McAfee Show, Day said: "The way you design a coaching staff is different now. There used to just be 10 assistant coaches and then graduate assistants, now there's unlimited coaches in college. So, it allowed us to do different things and our administration has been great about that and allowed us to go get guys like Matt Patricia and Arthur Smith" 31. On the offensive philosophy, he told CBS Sports: "Well, it's been nine years, and to your point, we've sort of done the same thing, and we're going to continue to do that. But having Arthur has brought a different perspective, which has been nice" 32. And on Sayin's adjustment, at Big Ten Media Days: "I think he's liked the challenge of some of the things that Arthur is bringing to the table. Combine that with a quarterback who has the experience now. I mean, this is only the third time since I've been at Ohio State that we've had the same quarterback come back for a second year (as a starter). That's a big deal" 33. The pattern in Day's public comments: the talent is elite, the staff is upgraded, and the offensive line is the one thing keeping him up at night. SOURCES 1. College Football Data API (CollegeFootballData) https://collegefootballdata.com 2. College football injury feed (Injury feed) https://www.rotowire.com/cfootball/news.php 3. 2026 Football Schedule | Ohio State https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/schedule 4. Role reversal: 2026 Texas-Ohio State game flip side of 2025 matchup - Yahoo Sports https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/role-reversal-2026-texas-ohio-215236590.html 5. Julian Sayin becomes Ryan Day's third returning starting QB — and he's not wasting the opportunity (247Sports) https://247sports.com/college/ohio-state/article/ohio-state-football-julian-sayin- becomes-ryan-days-third-returning-starting-qb-and-hes-not-wasting-the-opportunity- 288734832/ 6. Running Back Isaiah West Shakes Up the Buckeyes' Backfield in Training Camp - Yahoo Sports (Yahoo Sports) https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/running-back-isaiah-west-shakes-223032444.html 7. Ryan Day’s latest update came with some strong words about Ohio State’s potential X-factor in 2026 https://atozsports.com/college-football/ohio-state-buckeyes-news/ryan-days-latest- update-came-with-some-strong-words-about-ohio-states-potential-x-factor-in-2026/ 8. 2026 Ohio State Football Position Preview: Running Back - Buckeye Huddle https://buckeyehuddle.com/2026/08/05/2026-ohio-state-football-position-preview- running-back/ 9. 2026 Ohio State Football Position Preview: Quarterback - Buckeye Huddle https://buckeyehuddle.com/2026/08/04/2026-ohio-state-football-position-preview- quarterback/ 10. Isaiah West takes first-team running back reps ahead of Bo Jackson in fall camp (247Sports) https://247sports.com/college/ohio-state/article/explaining-ohio-state-football-running- back-shake-up-early-in-fall-camp-isaiah-west-bo-jackson-288774351/ 11. Austin Siereveld moves to right guard, Ian Moore takes left tackle in first-team OL (The Columbus Dispatch) https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/college/football/2026/08/06/ohio-state-football- practice-ryan-day/91198376007/ 12. Legend Bey absent from practice due to violation of team rules (Sports Summary) https://sportssum.com/ryan-day-offensive-line-still-a-key-concern-after-ohio-states- first-2026-practice/ 13. Ohio State continues to tweak offensive line with Siereveld at left tackle, Padilla at right tackle (Buckeye Sports Bulletin) https://buckeyesports.com/three-biggest-takeaways-from-the-first-three-days-of-ohio- states-fall-camp/ 14. Ja'Kobi Jackson continues to impress in fall camp (Pachyderm Magazine) https://pachydermmagazine.org/article/ohio-state-football-devin-mccuin-shines-jay- timmons-steps-up-joshua-padilla-s-chance 15. Practice Report: Legend Bey returns | Siereveld at LT or RG? | Defense wins the day, but Sayin sharp https://247sports.com/college/ohio-state/article/ohio-state-buckeyes-football-practice- report-legend-bey-returns-siereveld-at-lt-or-rg-defense-wins-the-day-but-julian-sayin- sharp-288786876/ 16. Isaiah West leapfrogs Bo Jackson as first-team running back in Ohio State fall camp (Yahoo Sports) https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/running-back-isaiah-west-shakes-223032444.html 17. Nick McLarty named starting punter for season opener against Akron (Buckeye Sports Bulletin) https://www.buckeyesports.com/ryan-day-names-true-freshman-nick-mclarty-as- starting-punter-for-season-opener/ 18. Devin McCuin has emerged as standout wide receiver opposite Jeremiah Smith in camp (Total Apex Sports) https://totalapexsports.com/ohio-state-day-2-of-training-camp/ 19. Joe McGuire, Jayden Fielding Will Remain Starting Punter, Kicker – Buckeye Sports Bulletin https://buckeyesports.com/joe-mcguire-jayden-fielding-will-remain-starting- punter-kicker/ 20. Projecting Ohio State’s Week 1 Starting Lineup as Camp Begins https://www.si.com/college/ohiostate/news/projecting-ohio-state-s-week-1- starting-lineup-as-camp-begins-01kzf6gdjtn5 21. Bo Jackson Injury: Opens camp with second-team offense | RotoWire https://www.rotowire.com/cfootball/headlines/bo-jackson-injury-opens-camp- with-second-team-offense-227153 22. Ohio State Running Backs Bo Jackson, Isaiah West to Miss Spring Practice While Recovering from Shoulder Surgeries | Eleven Warriors https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2026/01/161410/ohio-state- running-backs-bo-jackson-isaiah-west-to-miss-spring-practice-after-undergoing- shoulder-surgeries 23. Ohio State Injury Report: Ryan Day Announces Concerning RB ... https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-injury-report-ryan-164857932.html 24. Ryan Day Provides Injury Updates Ahead Of Toledo Game – Buckeye Sports Bulletin https://buckeyesports.com/ryan-day-provides-injury-updates-ahead-of-toledo- game/ 25. Players to Watch: If healthy, Bo Jackson poised for big 2026 season | Land-Grant Holy Land https://www.landgrantholyland.com/theme-weeks/119420/players-to-watch-if- healthy-bo-jackson-poised-for-big-2026-season 26. Ryan Day: Offensive line still a key concern after Ohio State's first 2026 practice (NBC Sports) https://www.nbcsports.com/college-football/news/ryan-day-offensive-line-still-a- key-concern-after-ohio-states-first-2026-practice 27. Ohio State football betting preview 2026: Buckeyes odds, futures, win total prediction, sportsbook promos and more (Sporting News) https://www.sportingnews.com/us/betting/news/ohio-state-football-betting- preview-2026-odds-futures-win-total/a5acb6e63ee47d5ecea6e6a5 28. Kirk Herbstreit breaks down Arthur Smith's impact on Ohio State offense (On3) https://www.on3.com/news/kirk-herbstreit-breaks-down-arthur-smiths-impact-on- ohio-state-offense/ 29. Julian Sayin has to become Ohio State's CEO, not just its quarterback (Yahoo Sports) https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/julian-sayin-become-ohio-state-150100611.html 30. Ryan Day explains Legend Bey's absence from first fall practice (Buckeye Huddle) https://buckeyehuddle.com/2026/08/06/everything-ryan-day-said-on-day-1-of- fall-camp/ 31. Ryan Day discusses hiring NFL head coaches Patricia and Smith (On3) https://www.on3.com/news/ryan-day-breaks-down-decision-to-hire-former-nfl- head-coaches-matt-patricia-arthur-smith/ 32. Ryan Day credits Arthur Smith for new offensive perspective (Yahoo Sports) https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nine-years-ryan-day-lauds-025439935.html 33. Ryan Day says Julian Sayin is embracing Arthur Smith's challenge (Yahoo Sports) https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ohio-state-oc-arthur-smith-155021061.html 34. Ohio State Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson, Tight Ends Luke Farrell, Jake Hausmann, Jeremy Ruckert Talk Practice In Friday Availability – Buckeye Sports Bulletin https://buckeyesports.com/ohio-state-offensive-coordinator-kevin-wilson-tight- ends-luke-farrell-jake-hausmann-jeremy-ruckert-talk-practice-in-friday- availability/ Ohio State Buckeyes · 2026 · Team Report Page 7 of 7
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