Even though senior offensive lineman Austin Siereveld started all 14 games at left tackle last season, and played well in those 14 games, he spent much of his offseason not entirely sure where he would be on the offensive line going into 2026.
When he became the left tackle in 2025, it came as somewhat of a surprise since he had spent the 2024 season filling in at left and right guard when needed due to injuries, which the Buckeyes had many of that year.
But spending a full year at one spot was something Siereveld enjoyed. Then as spring ball moved along, he realized he would have to take some reps at right guard again since the team may need him there.
“Last year was the first year i played at one position the whole year, and I was so comfortable,” Siereveld said. “In the spring, I told (offensive line coach Tyler Bowen) I hated right guard. But as you get more and more reps, you get more used to it.”
Siereveld confirmed that now that he has been able to get more work in at right guard, he does like the position now and feels comfortable there.
“I was just so used to left tackle,” Siereveld said. “I thought I’d be playing that again this year, but obviously that’s probably not going to happen.
“But whatever the team wants, whatever they need. If I need to play left guard, left tackle, right guard, even center … I’ll play it.”
Siereveld said that he’s been getting reps at right guard since the spring, and once he started rolling through on that side of the line throughout the summer and in fall camp, the position started to grow on him a little more.
And it wasn’t a certainty that Siereveld would move out of left tackle to guard. Since the senior has shown that he can play at both tackle and guard, the move largely depended on who stepped up behind him either at tackle or at guard.
It was Joshua Padilla and Gabe VanSickle who had the chance at right guard, both of whom earned reps during last season. Padilla seemed to be working into a more consistent role later in the year before injuring himself.
But it was Ian Moore who apparently stepped up the most at left tackle, making his coaches feel more comfortable with Siereveld moving to guard. Moore earned time at tackle during the second half of the Cotton Bowl loss against Miami (Fla.) when Siereveld left the game with an injury and he played well in those 20 minutes.
Because of that and because of the work that Moore has put in over the offseason, Siereveld feels that Moore has proven himself.
“He’s a dog. He knows what he’s doing,” Siereveld said of Moore. “He’s improving each week. He’s getting better and he’s finding his voice also. We feed off his energy and he does his job at a high level.”
Now, with Siereveld as the most likely starting right guard, the Buckeyes have a ton of experience across the interior. To his left is fifth year Carson Hinzman, who is entering his fourth season in which he will start in some capacity for Ohio State.
Then, to Hinzman’s left is senior Luke Montgomery, who quickly made a name for himself when he arrived on campus in 2023, challenging for a starting spot as a true freshman. Then he also earned some time late in his sophomore season during the run to the national championship win, which he turned into a full-time starting gig for the 2025 season.
Siereveld said that the chemistry those three have on the interior is a big deal.
“It’s very uncommon to have three interior guys who played for three years together and we have to take advantage of that,” Siereveld said. “Our connections we have with each other is unreal.”
In the two postseason losses the Buckeyes suffered last season, the offensive line found itself int he crosshairs when it came to blame being targeted. Quarterback Julian Sayin was sacked 10 times — five in each game — after the line had only given up six sacks over the entire 12-game regular season schedule.
Siereveld and his linemates are going into this season hoping to parlay that experience into improved performance.
