Unheralded Ohio State football transfer addition might be getting ready to steal a starting job during fall camp​

Ohio State Buckeyes are going to have a different-looking defensive line in 2026, and one transfer addition is inching toward a starting job.



When the Ohio State Buckeyes step on the field against Ball State in Week 1 of the college football season, they’ll have a much different looking team than a year ago. Ohio State lost 11 players to the NFL Draft and north of 30 players opted to enter the transfer portal, mostly depth pieces from the back end of the roster.

The Buckeyes’ defense specifically is going to look a lot different, and it’s why they had to hit the transfer portal this winter to land a few difference-makers for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s unit.

Ohio State’s defensive line is set to feature three new starters, and while Alabama transfer James Smith has generated most of the offseason buzz, it’s actually UCF transfer John Walker who might end up starting next to defensive tackle Eddrick Houston when the season opens.

John Walker’s path from UCF to Columbus​

Walker was a player the Buckeyes recruited out of high school in Florida in the class of 2023, but he opted to stay home and play for Central Florida. The now 6-foot-2, 324-pound defensive lineman missed the entire 2024 season with an injury, but in 12 games last year with UCF, he recorded 40 tackles and a sack. As a freshman in 2023, he had 24 tackles and a half sack to his name.

An interesting tidbit recently came from Lettermen Row’s Jeremy Birmingham.

“That’s why we think there’s a very good chance that it’ll actually be Walker—not James Smith—who is next to Eddrick Houston when the season opens,” Birmingham wrote. “The buzz around Walker is growing and it’ll pick up after fans and the media get to see him over these first three days of training camp.”

Why John Walker fills a specific need for Ohio State​

Walker is a big human at his listed size and could fill some of the run-stopping needs the Buckeyes have after losing Kayden McDonald to the NFL from last year’s team. Houston is more of a 3-tech who is going to get after the passer from the interior. Walker can be more of that run-stopping defensive tackle for Ohio State, and the two could complement each other well.
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Their winning percentage the last 14 games makes their team batting average look great.

Kid reminds me a lot of Christian Kirk. Would love to see him in the slot here.

pnuts34 said:

Word on the street is that he either: arrived late to practice OR he went on tik tok live and spoke like a young and dumb frosh and Coach Day had to let him know he was not bigger than the team. We'll all move on and hope he learns from the transgression

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Just sayin': First of all, I had no idea that you could go on Tik Tok live...... Regardless, at least (if the word on the street is correct) it was nothing major, i.e. DUI, arrest, sexual harassment charges, failed drug test, etc. Arriving late to practice and/or going on Tik Tok are easily corrected/fixed.

I just hope your street informant is as reliable as Huggy Bear:





Update: I saw on "X" where some others said it was the Tik Tok thing too. Anyway, this sure isn't the best start for him on his Ohio State football career, but there's still hope that this is just a minor blip on the radar.

Haven't posted in here in a while. Been in kind of a cooking rut and sorta decided to get out. Now, for those of you who have seen me post here, I don't try to do "Authentic" - I do the AKAK version of stuff. Anyway here's some jerk chicken I did, the marinade probably leans Cayman with lots of citrus and I used habaneros and jalapeños from my garden.


Wiod is mulberry from my property. This is more a small scale practice before I run it on my offset with either whole or half chickens. I'm not gonna lie, it was crazy good.

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305Buck 2 hours ago
https://247sports.com/player/karon-eugene-46155620/
New safety recruit that Ohio State has been in contact with. Could we land another safety from Louisiana two classes in a row? LSU and Texas A&M are also recruiting him.

KYBuck4858 31 minutes ago
We’ve been on him for awhile. He was thought to be a lock to LSU at one point.
The reason he fell off the map for the past 6-9 months, was that he had severe grade issues. Schools were waiting to see spring and summer school transcripts was the word. I was hoping that LSU would not want to wait for him and fill up, but I think they still have an opening.

305Buck 23 minutes ago
Yeah he’s planning visits to all 3 schools this season.

According to QB warmups at practice #1, he’s repping at #2 center right now.

Julian Sayin has to become Ohio State’s CEO, not just its quarterback​

Julian Sayin has already proven he can win games with his arm. Entering his second season as Ohio State’s starter, the Buckeyes now need him to command the huddle, own the line of scrimmage, and become the unquestioned leader of a championship-caliber program.



When people talk about Julian Sayin entering the 2026 season, the conversation almost always begins with statistics. It makes sense. After all, there is plenty to talk about.

In his first season as Ohio State’s starter, Sayin threw for 3,610 yards and 32 touchdowns while completing a remarkable 77 percent of his passes, leading the nation in completion percentage and finishing second nationally in passer rating.

Sayin was a Heisman finalist, earned Freshman of the Year honors, and became one of college football’s brightest young stars.

But statistics are no longer the most important part of his development in my opinion. Leadership is. Because entering his third collegiate season and second year as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, Sayin isn’t simply expected to run Ryan Day’s offense anymore. He is expected to run the entire football team.

That may sound like a small distinction, but inside championship programs, it is often the difference between very good quarterbacks and unforgettable ones.

Quarterbacks don’t just call plays. They command rooms. They settle teammates after mistakes. They challenge veterans in practice. They communicate with coaches on the sideline. They identify protections and coverages before the snap. They become the face everyone naturally follows when pressure reaches its highest point.

Ohio State already knows Julian Sayin can play quarterback at a high level. Now they have to find out whether he can become the true CEO of one of college football’s biggest programs.

Running the offense starts long before the ball is snapped​

The easiest part of quarterbacking is often what fans actually see. The throw. The difficult part begins before the snap ever arrives. Ryan Day has long placed enormous responsibility on his quarterbacks at the line of scrimmage.

Identifying defensive fronts, adjusting protections, changing run calls, recognizing disguised blitzes, communicating with the offensive line and ensuring every skill player understands the assignment all happen within a matter of seconds.

That responsibility only grows during a quarterback’s second season. There are no more freshman or first year starter excuses. There is no longer uncertainty about the offense. Everything should feel and be automatic.

Sayin himself acknowledged at Big Ten Media Days that the game has slowed down considerably entering Year Two, pointing to increased comfort, improved communication and a stronger understanding of the offense after a full season as the starter.

Ryan Day echoed that confidence, highlighting Sayin’s physical and mental growth throughout the offseason.

That growth matters because Ohio State’s offense is changing drastically around him. Arthur Smith’s influence continues expanding after joining the program a few months ago. Several new transfer additions must be integrated into the program. Young receivers will be asked to contribute in larger roles. The offensive line returns significant experience, but that experience still requires direction.

The quarterback becomes the common denominator tying every piece together, and that responsibility extends beyond just making throws for Julian Sayin. It means understanding exactly where every player should be before the coaches ever have to correct it.

The best quarterbacks don’t simply execute the offense. They become extensions of the coaching staff.

The next step happens inside the locker room​

Will Howard’s greatest contribution to Ohio State wasn’t necessarily a throw. It was belief. Teammates trusted him. Coaches trusted him. When difficult moments arrived, nobody questioned who would speak first inside the huddle.
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305Buck 14 hours ago
Jalanie George is close to finalizing a gameday visit to Ohio State. Will visit Auburn, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Washington this season before committing at the Navy All American bowl on January 9th.

And unlike yesteryear, tOSU (or other college) can/may pay the way for a recruit to visit a game. For those too young to remember, on a non-official visit, a recruit had to pay their own way, else classified as a violation. Now, the school pays, and sometimes kicks in a 'honorarium' of cash for the recruit's time and trouble. Predict that DJJ will find out that the Buckeye faithful support the home team against a 'body bag' game as well as a national power....

And there it is. Guess the old adage "Tis better to be #1 in November than August". Took some liberties with paraphrasing, but believe idea is communicated. Probably the networks are setting up an early #1 v #2, in order to get a bigger market share. As if that would be needed.....

Lol the predictable domino effect from the insane deal that DGG got. Desperate programs throwing comical bags to get a player or two causes havoc on the market.

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Just sayin': In case you wondered too.

Google AI: Ohio State has a massive, exclusive long-term apparel contract with Nike, meaning team members, coaches, and staff must wear and use Nike gear-including jerseys, cleats, and shoes--for all official team practices, games, and related athletic activities. Even if an individual player signs a separate Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) endorsement deal with a competing brand like Adidas (as star receiver Jeremiah Smith did), that outside agreement only applies to personal off-the-field marketing. During official Ohio State games, practices, and team functions, players are strictly required to wear Nike products.

johnson2443 said:

This is a shocking DL to have on one college team let alone a high school.

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No joke, that's not even fair. I'm not sure what you even do about that at the HS level. Run a screen 80% of the time?

Buckeyes are different