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Offensive and Defensive Lines, Kicker Among Positions Ohio State Should Target in the Transfer Portal
We look at the positions Ohio State most needs to target when the transfer portal opens next week with the offensive line, defensive line and kicker being top areas of focus.
Offensive and Defensive Lines, Kicker Among Positions Ohio State Should Target in the Transfer Portal
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1. Offensive Tackle
Josh Simmons’ decision to enter the draft left no doubt about which position Ohio State most needs to upgrade through the transfer portal. Ohio State doesn’t even have one clear candidate to start at offensive tackle next season, let alone two, so the Buckeyes ideally need to add multiple offensive tackles who can come in and compete for starting jobs.“That's the one area there that I feel like we got to make sure that we're going to be moving forward into the next few weeks addressing. We have to do that,” Ryan Day said Wednesday when asked about the offensive line.
Going into a season in which the Buckeyes could turn to a redshirt freshman (Julian Sayin) to start at quarterback, Ohio State simply can’t afford to go into 2025 without any proven commodities at tackle. Moving Tegra Tshabola to tackle could be an option, as he was being developed primarily as a tackle before moving inside to right guard this year, and Ian Moore is a promising young prospect who could push for a starting job if he has a good second year of development. At a minimum, though, Ohio State needs to find a proven high-level starter at left tackle who it can confidently count on to lead its 2025 offensive line.
2. Kicker
Ohio State’s decision to commit to Jayden Fielding rather than look for a potential upgrade at kicker last offseason backfired at the worst possible time when Fielding missed two field goals inside of 40 yards against Michigan. Even before those misses, it was evident with some of Ryan Day’s fourth-down decision-making this season that there was hesitancy to trust Fielding with kicking long field goals.After his misses made the difference between winning and losing the defining game of the Buckeyes’ season, Ohio State should take a page out of its rivals’ playbook – who secured arguably the best kicker in college football this year in Arkansas State transfer Dominic Zvada – and look for a kicking upgrade in the transfer portal.
3. Interior Offensive Line
Ohio State’s interior offensive line needs for next season aren’t as dire as its offensive tackle needs, as the current starting trio of Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman and Tshabola are all expected back next season while Joshua Padilla and Luke Montgomery are also candidates to push for starting jobs next year as third-year Buckeyes. Considering the lack of success Siereveld, Hinzman and Tshabola had against Michigan, however, Ohio State shouldn’t be relying solely on their development for next season.Bringing in a veteran center worked wonders for this year’s offensive line until Seth McLaughlin went down with a season-ending Achilles injury; given that Hinzman performed better at left guard than he did before moving back to center, adding another veteran center could be a prudent move. There’s reason for optimism that a strong duo of starting guards will emerge from the rest of the group with another year of development, but the Buckeyes shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to add a proven top-tier guard if one comes their way.
4. Defensive Tackle
With Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams moving on after this season, defensive tackle might be the biggest question-mark position on Ohio State’s defense going into next season. Kayden McDonald and Eddrick Houston are both promising candidates to potentially start next season, but none of Ohio State’s other returning defensive tackles performed well enough in spot duty this season to earn a consistent role in the rotation.Ohio State will be hoping the likes of Hero Kanu, Jason Moore and Will Smith Jr. can become quality pieces of its defensive tackle rotation next season with another year of development, and the Buckeyes should have the quantity of DTs they need for next year with the incoming freshman trio of Jarquez Carter, Maxwell Roy and Trajen Odom. Given the limited experience Ohio State has on this unit, though, the Buckeyes should be looking for a starting-caliber veteran to help lead the rotation with McDonald and Houston.
Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald could lead Ohio State’s defensive tackle rotation next year, but the depth behind them is a major question mark.
5. Defensive End
Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. are strong candidates to start as seniors after waiting their turn behind Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, but their limited action in big games – including just seven snaps for Jackson and three snaps for Curry – leaves in question whether Ohio State will count on them to lead the defensive end rotation next year. Even if they do, Ohio State will need to bolster the depth behind them and add at least one edge defender who can make an impact in next year’s rotation.Mitchell Melton could still potentially return for a sixth year, and a move to the edge is seemingly on the table for C.J. Hicks; if both of those things happen, this need might not be as pressing. Without them, however, there would be a need to add at least one defensive end for depth after signing only two defensive ends in the 2025 class due to the late decommitments of Zahir Mathis and London Merritt.
Other Positions
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