# Luke Montgomery (American football)
**Luke Montgomery** (born c. 2004) is an [American football](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-football) offensive lineman for the [Ohio State Buckeyes](https://www.edgepedia.org/ohio-state-buckeyes), a [Findlay, Ohio](https://www.edgepedia.org/findlay-ohio), native who won a national championship with the Buckeyes in the 2024 season, started every game at left guard in 2025, and returned for a senior season in 2026 as a prospect for the 2027 NFL Draft.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position, size | Offensive line; 6 ft 5 in, 313 lbs; jersey No. 51; senior in 2026[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319) |
| Hometown | Findlay, Ohio; last school Findlay High School[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319) |
| Recruiting | Top-ranked player in Ohio by 247Sports as a senior in 2022; four-star recruit in the class of 2023[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319) |
| 2024 season | National champion; appeared in 14 games with two starts, including his first career start against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319) |
| 2025 season | Started all 14 games, 870 snaps; second-team All-American (AFCA) and second-team All-Big Ten[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319) |
| 2025 protection numbers | 16 pressures and three sacks allowed across 442 pass-blocking snaps; 73.8 run-block grade and 70.0 pass-block grade[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery) |
| 2026 status | Returned for his senior season; named to the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319) |
| Draft projection | No. 112 on the 2027 NFL Draft big board, Round 4 range, graded 77, projected as an interior starter candidate[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery) |
## Background and recruitment
Montgomery played at Findlay High School, where he was used on both sides of the ball and accepted an invitation to the All-American Bowl[3](https://www.buckeyesports.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/2022-11-05_BSBOnline.pdf). He did not move to the offensive line until his junior year of high school, yet he improved quickly enough to earn first-team all-Ohio and district lineman of the year honors at Findlay[4](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Luke-Montgomery-OL-OhioState). Ohio State extended an offer to him as an offensive lineman before he had played a single game on the offensive line for Findlay[5](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2023/04/138201/better-know-a-buckeye-luke-montgomery-has-the-physicality-quickness-and-raw-ability-to-be-offensive-line-anchor).
He announced his commitment to Ohio State on February 17, 2022, at a ceremony in the main gym at Findlay High School, with his parents Mike and Chrissy Montgomery beside him[6](https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ohio-state/2022/03/30/luke-montgomery-transitions-from-recruited-to-recruiter-for-ohio-state-football/stories/20220329012). As a senior in 2022 he was the top-ranked player in the state of Ohio by 247Sports[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319), and recruiting services rated the four-star prospect as the country's No. 5 interior offensive lineman and the No. A pre-college scouting report compared him to Corey Linsley and flagged his lack of Big Ten strength as the main developmental need[7](https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-class-2023-154521728.html).
## College career
**Freshman year, 2023.** Montgomery appeared in seven games as a true freshman, totaling 71 snaps on the offensive line and on special teams, and was one of four true freshmen to letter that season[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319). He spent the spring of 2024 working at right guard, a new position for a player whose high school career had been at tackle, tight end, and defensive end, as the staff looked for a replacement for right guard Matt Jones[8](https://buckeyehuddle.com/2024/05/30/luke-montgomery-preparing-for-starting-role-with-guarded-optimism/).
**Sophomore year, 2024.** He appeared in 14 games with two starts on the national championship team, totaling 313 snaps. His first career start came against Texas in the [College Football Playoff](https://www.edgepedia.org/college-football-playoff) semifinal (64 snaps), and he played a season-high 70 snaps in the championship game against Notre Dame, with 180 offensive snaps across the four-game playoff run[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319).
**Junior year, 2025.** Montgomery started all 14 games, totaling 870 snaps on the offensive line and on special teams, and earned second-team All-American honors from the AFCA and second-team All-Big Ten from both the coaches and the media[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319) • [4](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Luke-Montgomery-OL-OhioState). He committed only two penalties on 837 snaps[4](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Luke-Montgomery-OL-OhioState). The season ended badly for the line: Ohio State allowed five sacks in each of its final two games, a Big Ten Championship Game loss to Indiana and a College Football Playoff loss to Miami, and Montgomery surrendered two sacks and a hit in the Miami game[9](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2026/06/162707/luke-montgomery-says-ohio-state-s-offensive-line-is-healthy-motivated-to-make-up-for-last-season) • [4](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Luke-Montgomery-OL-OhioState).
**Senior year, 2026.** He earned his degree in sport industry in spring 2026 and entered the season on the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists[1](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319).
## Scouting evaluation
Charting of his 2025 season gives a picture of a guard with useful movement and unsettled protection. Montgomery earned a 73.8 run-block grade and a 70.0 pass-block grade across the sample, with a pass-blocking efficiency score of 97.8[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery). His feet give an offense answers on pulls, screens, and second-level combinations, and he plays through the whistle, looking for work once the first block is secured[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery).
Protection is the main concern. He allowed 16 pressures and three sacks across 442 pass-blocking snaps, and eight of those 16 pressures came in the two biggest games of the season, the Texas opener and the Miami playoff game[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery) • [4](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Luke-Montgomery-OL-OhioState). The technical issue cited is hands that arrive wide or late, which exposes his chest and inside shoulder to long interior rushers before his anchor is set[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery). Other evaluators note that his strength does not always translate to the field and that he can be beaten by similarly sized defensive tackles using power moves[11](https://otclock.substack.com/p/luke-montgomery-2026-draft-profile).
**Draft projection.** Scouting Grade places him at No. 112 on its 2027 big board with a Round 4 range, a grade of 77 against a consensus average of 79.7, and a projected role as an interior starter candidate, best suited to a varied run game that uses climbs, pulls, and combination blocks[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery). His 2026 tape can still move both the range and the role[2](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery).
## References
1. [Luke Montgomery, 2026 Football Roster, Ohio State University Athletics](https://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/football/roster/luke-montgomery/13319)
2. [Luke Montgomery Scouting Report, 2027 NFL Draft IOL, Scouting Grade](https://scoutinggrade.com/2027/players/luke-montgomery)
3. [Ohio State Football Recruiting, Buckeye Sports Bulletin, November 2022](https://www.buckeyesports.com/wp-content/uploads/formidable/2/2022-11-05_BSBOnline.pdf)
4. [Luke Montgomery Offensive Guard Ohio State, NFL Draft Buzz](https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Luke-Montgomery-OL-OhioState)
5. [Better Know a Buckeye: Luke Montgomery, Eleven Warriors](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2023/04/138201/better-know-a-buckeye-luke-montgomery-has-the-physicality-quickness-and-raw-ability-to-be-offensive-line-anchor)
6. [Luke Montgomery, once recruited, is now a recruiter for Ohio State football, The Blade](https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/ohio-state/2022/03/30/luke-montgomery-transitions-from-recruited-to-recruiter-for-ohio-state-football/stories/20220329012)
7. [Ohio State football class of 2023 scouting report: Luke Montgomery, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/ohio-state-football-class-2023-154521728.html)
8. [Luke Montgomery Preparing For Starting Role With Guarded Optimism, Buckeye Huddle](https://buckeyehuddle.com/2024/05/30/luke-montgomery-preparing-for-starting-role-with-guarded-optimism/)
9. [Luke Montgomery Says Ohio State's Offensive Line is Healthy, Eleven Warriors](https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2026/06/162707/luke-montgomery-says-ohio-state-s-offensive-line-is-healthy-motivated-to-make-up-for-last-season)
10. [College football's most underrated guard plays at Ohio State, Land-Grant Holy Land](https://www.landgrantholyland.com/ohio-state-football/120026/college-footballs-most-underrated-guard-plays-at-ohio-state-and-his-name-is-luke-montgomery)
11. [Luke Montgomery 2026 Draft Profile by Courtlandt Griffin, OT Clock](https://otclock.substack.com/p/luke-montgomery-2026-draft-profile)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Centers and guards › Guards*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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