\n\tBut on the offensive line, retention was the play. It was clear through the Buckeyes\u2019 portal actions that they\u2019d be leaning on their veterans to improve upon a disastrous end to the 2025 season from the position group, but Day laid it out in unambiguous terms on an offseason edition of his radio show<\/a> on Friday. Ohio State spent its offensive line resources keeping what it already had in place this offseason.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe portal really wasn\u2019t in play there because it took everything we had to get the guys to come back,\u201d Day said. \u201cI think when you look at the offensive line just across the country, the last five years, experience is really important. When you see some of the guys who have now been in the program, so Carson (Hinzman is) into his fifth year, Luke Montgomery will be a senior, Josh Padilla is a senior, Austin Siereveld is a senior, Ian Moore is a junior, Gabe VanSickle is a junior. It\u2019s really important to have this type of maturity in the offensive line.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \t\t \n\t\t\tCarson Hinzman returns at center for Ohio State in 2026.\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State added\u00a0a drip of depth to its offensive line in former Dartmouth offensive tackle Vasean Washington<\/a>, but the fifth-year senior is not expected to compete for a starting position.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhat went wrong on the offensive line to close last season has been discussed time <\/a>and time again<\/a> on this site and elsewhere. The Buckeyes allowed 10 sacks in their final two games, five each against Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game vs. Indiana and the College Football Playoff quarterfinals vs. Miami. Issues with run game consistency that seemed erased at Michigan came back in a big way against the Hoosiers and Hurricanes.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTo Day, however, there were still highlights for his offensive line in 2025. Ohio State did allow just six sacks in its 12 regular season games, at least.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere\u2019s a lot that I think played into that (the struggles against Indiana and Miami)\u00a0that we\u2019ve got to get better at,\u201d Day said. \u201cBut for the majority of the year, we were strong. The rivalry game, these guys played their tail off. There was a lot of good play all season. You think about even early in the season with the Texas game. But with a whole nother offseason, we felt like we had enough there. We feel like we can go seven or eight deep. And we have some versatility right there.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe limited quantity of and resulting premium to pay for offensive linemen in the transfer portal also played a role. One of the top linemen initially linked to Ohio State after he entered the portal, Colorado\u2019s Jordan Seaton, commanded between $4 and 5 million from his eventual destination of LSU, per a report from Garland Gillen<\/a> of Fox 8 New Orleans.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen you look at some of the constraints that come with all that, we feel like when you look at where Austin was, when you look at Luke, when you look at Carson, that was solid all season,\u201d Day said.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n