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CB Dominick Kelly (Official Thread)

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Wonderful young man, outstanding hard worker. Will give you absolutely no trouble off the football field and takes care of his business in the classroom.

Ran neck and neck with Ellis Robinson, the five star recruit who ended up starting as a true freshman. Ellis struggled earlier in the year against Alabama and Tennessee, but then made dramatic strides towards the end of the year, and he was taking the bulk of Dominick’s snaps.

Is likely getting more NIL money and more playing time in Columbus than in Athens.

Positives:
Fought and earned his way into playing time in Kirby‘s defense and did contribute. Absolutely never quit on the team or on himself despite a desire to contribute more no off the field issues, not a locker room headache. Very used to practicing HARD against good competition. Immediate contributor on special teams.

Challenges:
Reclassified so he was a 17-year-old freshman in college. YOUNG. Incredibly athletically talented but probably could stand to put on a good 10 pounds of muscle in order to compete in the Big Ten and in the SEC. Buckeye S&C will put him down a healthy path and continue the work done in Athens.

He left a great program to go join a great program. This is college football in 2026 folks. Shake his hand and wish him well unless he plays the Dawgs again
 
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BigWoof31 said:
Wonderful young man, outstanding hard worker. Will give you absolutely no trouble of the football field and takes care of his business in the classroom.

Ran neck and neck with Ellis Robinson, the five star recruit who ended up starting as a true freshman. Ellis struggled earlier in the year against Alabama and Tennessee, but then made dramatic strides towards the end of the year, and he was taking the bulk of Dominick’s snaps.

Is likely getting more NIL money and more playing time in Columbus than in Athens.

Positives:
Fought and earned his way into playing time in Kirby‘s defense and did contribute. Absolutely never quit on the team or on himself despite a desire to contribute more no off the field issues, not a locker room headache. Very used to practicing HARD against good competition. Immediate contributor on special teams.

Challenges:
Reclassified so he was a 17-year-old freshman in college. YOUNG. Incredibly athletically talented but probably could stand to put on a good 10 pounds of muscle in order to compete in the Big Ten and then the SEC. Buckeye S&C will put him down a healthy path and continue the work done in Athens.

He left a great program to go join a great program. This is college football in 2026 folks. Shake his hand and wish him well unless he plays the Dawgs again
Click to expand...
Cheers Woof. It is hard these days with all the movement. You love a guy then he's gone the next minute. Sounds like we're going to be happy about this young man.
 
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I was big fan of Scott, when he became a Buckeye, but if this is who OG Walt chose to replace him. Then he may have hit a homerun. And I feel even more comfortable with saying this after seeing what @BigWoof31 wrote
One thing that tends to ring true, those that succeed at IMG, tend to succeed in college. These are kids that have essentially been in a college style system, on and off the field. They already see the business aspect, along with playing football at a very high level mixed with being in school
 
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www.landgrantholyland.com

The quiet addition with loud upside: Why Dominick Kelly may be Ohio State’s most underrated transfer

Why Ohio State’s quiet addition from Georgia could become a cornerstone of the Buckeyes’ secondary in the years ahead
www.landgrantholyland.com www.landgrantholyland.com

The quiet addition with loud upside: Why Dominick Kelly may be Ohio State’s most underrated transfer​

Why Ohio State’s quiet addition from Georgia could become a cornerstone of the Buckeyes’ secondary in the years ahead

When Ohio State’s transfer class was taking shape this offseason, most of the attention gravitated toward proven production, veteran experience, and immediate fixes. Bigger names, clearer roles, instant impact. Lost in that noise was a move that may not pay off loudly in 2026, but could end up reshaping the Buckeyes’ secondary in the long term, and that is the addition of former Georgia cornerback Dominick Kelly.
Kelly does not arrive in Columbus with the hype of an All-Conference resume or the expectations of an instant starter. Instead, he arrives with something Ohio State has again quietly prioritized this cycle. High-level developmental talent from an elite program, molded in a system that demands technical precision and physicality. That combination makes Kelly one of the most intriguing and underrated additions on the entire roster.

Why Georgia didn’t want to lose him​

Kelly’s departure from Georgia was not met with indifference. Inside the Georgia program and fanbase, his transfer raised eyebrows for a reason. As a true freshman, Kelly cracked the rotation in one of the deepest and most competitive secondaries in college football. That alone is telling.
Georgia does not hand out snaps to freshmen at cornerback unless they trust them. Kelly appeared in multiple games, gaining exposure to elite competition and absorbing one of the most demanding defensive structures in the sport. While his statistical output was limited, his value came from something less visible but arguably more important: reps in real games against NFL-caliber receivers.

At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Kelly already carries the prototype frame Ohio State covets on the outside. More importantly, his foundation is strong. Georgia’s coaching staff trusted his technique, alignment, and understanding of coverage rules enough to put him on the field early, and that trust from Kirby Smart is rarely misplaced. When Georgia coaches are unhappy to see a young defensive back leave the building, it usually means the player was viewed as a key part of the future.

Short-term role, long-term vision​

Kelly is unlikely to be asked to carry the room in 2026, but that is not the point. Ohio State’s cornerback group is clearly top-heavy, with established starters ahead of him and younger players fighting for rotational snaps. That context actually benefits Kelly. Early on, his role projects as a third or fourth corner, a depth piece capable of handling meaningful snaps without being truly exposed. That role fits his profile perfectly. He can be brought along deliberately, learning Tim Walton’s style and Matt Patricia’s system without the pressure of weekly matchup assignments against WR1s.

This is where Kelly’s value becomes clear. Ohio State is not asking him to be great immediately; they are asking him to develop correctly. With Walton’s track record of development at the position, Kelly’s blend of length and technical base gives him real upside. He already understands how to survive in a press-heavy, matchup-driven system. The next step is refinement, not reinvention.
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