David Jablonski: Ohio State football: Lakota East grad moves from tackle to guard

Austin Siereveld doesn't care where he plays on the Ohio State Buckeyes offensive line.

"Wherever they want me," he told reporters on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus.

Coach Ryan Day expects Siereveld, a 2023 Lakota East High School graduate, to start at right guard after playing left tackle last season. In a press conference Monday, Day said that was the current plan. It wouldn't be finalized until later in the week.

"He obviously spent a lot of time at tackle last year," Day said.

Now the 6-foot-5, 327-pound Siereveld is working on the interior of the line, Day said, and "getting more and more comfortable" as the Sept. 5 opener against Ball State approaches.

The other expected starters on the line are left guard Luke Montgomery, center Carson Hinzman, left tackle Ian Moore and right tackle Phillip Daniels. Everyone but Moore, who made one start in 2025, started most of last season.

One of the backups at guard is Wayne grad Joshua Padilla, who appeared in 13 games last season and started against Miami in the College Football Playoff.

Siereveld has built chemistry with the other linemen. He has a natural connection with Daniels, a Princeton High School graduate, because Siereveld grew up not far away in Liberty Township. Siereveld played next to Hinzman when Siereveld played guard two years ago.

"Now we can look at each other," Siereveld said of his fellow linemen, "and we already know what's going to happen."

This will be the third straight year Siereveld, Daniels and Hinzman have started together.

"It's very uncommon to have your three interior guys play for three years together," Siereveld said, "and we've got to take advantage of that. The connections we have are unreal. We vibe. We click."

Siereveld has played all over the line in his Ohio State career. After redshirting as a freshman in 2023, he played left and right guard in 2024, appearing in 16 games and making seven starts.

Last season, Siereveld was expected to play guard but was moved to left tackle. He made the All-Big Ten second team.

I thought I'd always be at guard," Siereveld said before the 2025 season, "but I'm just working on my craft every day. The coaches are helping me out when I ask questions. I'm just working every single day to try to be the best player I can be.

Siereveld started all 14 games for a team that finished 12-0 in the regular season before losing to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game and to Miami in the playoff quarterfinals. He totaled 810 snaps after playing 577 snaps in 2024.

"Last year was the first year I played one position all year," Siereveld said, "and I was just so comfortable."

"I was so used to guard in my first two years," Siereveld said. "Stepping out there was a challenge at first. Getting as many reps as possible, each week I was getting better and better."

The decision to move Siereveld back to guard was made so Ohio State could start junior Moore at left tackle.

Siereveld told offensive line coach Tyler Bowen he hated right guard because he was so used to left tackle, but his feeling soon changed.

"As you get more and more reps, you get more used to it," he said, "and I got comfortable with it."

For the second straight year, Siereveld will serve as a captain. Day announced seven captains for the 2026 season on Aug. 22. The others are wide receiver Brandon Inniss, defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr., safety Jaylen McClain, linebacker Payton Pierce, quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

"This is a significant day for our program," Day said in a press release. "We have seven captains this year, the seventh time in Ohio State football history that we have had that many or more. Being voted a captain is one of the greatest honors in this program because it comes directly from your teammates. This group represents our team well, with leaders from different position groups, backgrounds, and experiences. All seven are returning players, including two captains from last year, and they understand our standard and what it means to carry our culture forward."

Only Siereveld and Inniss are returning captains. Players vote for captains and can choose from juniors, seniors or fifth-year players.

"It means a lot," Siereveld said. "Especially being from Ohio, it means even more. Shoutout to all the guys out there for trusting me and voting for me."