Gene Ross
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Ohio State’s three biggest areas of need in the spring transfer portal window
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes are not done yet adding to their 2025 roster.
Ohio State did a great job addressing some key areas of its 2025 roster in the first transfer portal window, even despite it coming in the middle of the program’s College Football Playoff run.
The Buckeyes made some big splashes with guys like offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa and tight end Max Klare, added capable P4 performers in OT Phillip Daniels and running back CJ Donaldson, and created additional depth via the FCS ranks with defensive end Logan George and linebacker Ty Howard. They also managed to bring back RB Sam Williams-Dixon, who entered the portal but elected to return to Columbus.
That being said, Ohio State’s national title-winning roster experienced massive turnover this offseason. The Buckeyes’ offense loses seven of its 12 starters (counting TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins as co-starters) from the championship game, and that doesn’t even include Seth McLaughlin and Josh Simmons, who both started on the offensive line prior to season-ending injuries. On defense, the Silver Bullets lose eight of the 11 full-time starters, which notably includes the entire defensive line.
While the Ohio State roster is still loaded with talent and a bunch of guys are ready to step in and fill the big shoes left by their predecessors, head coach Ryan Day has not closed the door on more potential additions to the roster during the spring transfer window, which opens on April 16.
“Coming out of the spring will give us a lot of information on where we are in all position groups,” Day told the media last week. “We’ll use the portal as an opportunity to fill holes. We did a little bit of that during the first portal, but the challenge was that we were still playing our season. [...] But I’m looking forward to the spring, identifying it and jumping in to see if we have any holes.”
If Ohio State does elect to dip its toes into the transfer portal yet again in a month’s time, there are a few key positions where adding an experienced player seems the most likely ahead of the Buckeyes opening spring practice. While that can obviously change once the current group takes the field, these three positions seem the most likely to receive some help via the portal if needed...
The first and most obvious, as a result of the aforementioned departures, is along the defensive line, whether that be on the edge or at tackle — or both.
Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau played the vast majority of snaps at defensive end this past season, as the senior duo combined for 21.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss. The pair of former five-stars played a huge role in the resurgence of Ohio State’s defense down the stretch, and replacing them will not be easy. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry are the clear heir apparents — both of whom were top-15 edge rushers in the 2022 class — but beyond them, nobody else on the current roster played more than 25 snaps this past year.
The room got some help with the addition of Logan George in the first transfer window, who posted 6.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss last season for Idaho State, but the Big Ten will obviously be a huge step up in competition from the FCS ranks. Outside of that, the position group will also see a familiar face in a new role as CJ Hicks finally moves to the edge after beginning his career at linebacker. We have seen Hicks show potential down near the line of scrimmage, but the full extent of his role this year is still unclear.
The Buckeyes do have some young talent at defensive end who could perhaps crack the depth chart, with Joshua Mickens and Dominic Kirks heading into year two and Zion Grady coming in as a top-100 overall player with the potential to make an instant impact, but it would not be at all surprising for Larry Johnson to try and add another veteran body to that room.
Tackle is a little less murky, even despite losing Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, as both Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald saw pretty regular snaps last season. Ohio State also has Ole Miss transfer Tywone Malone at the position as well as Jason Moore, who was a top-70 player nationally in the 2023 class. With Will Smith Jr. and Eric Mensch also in that room as young depth, it seems less likely the Buckeyes look at add at tackle unless there is a perfect fit that comes along, which you can never rule out.
It seems funny to list safety as a need for Ohio State when the Buckeyes currently lay claim to the best defensive player in college football in safety Caleb Downs, but that is obviously not the position they need to replace. That would be at the other two safety spots (for the sake of simplicity, i’m including the nickel as a safety), where the back end of the defense loses two key cogs in Lathan Ransom and Jordan Hancock.
Ransom and Hancock were both tremendous players for Ohio State this past season, and would both have received far more acclaim nationally had they not be overshadowed by playing next to Downs. Ransom finished fourth on the team with 76 tackles to go along with nine tackles for loss, a sack, a pick and a team-high three forced fumbles. Hancock finished second on the team with eight pass breakups and tallied 48 tackles, but a lot of his contributions don't show up on the stat sheet despite his clear importance to the defense as a whole.
Both of those guys played well over 700 snaps in 2024, and now two players must step into those critical roles with very little experience comparatively.
The current position battle for Ransom’s safety spot is likely between Jaylen McClain and Malik Hartford. That duo played roughly the same amount of snaps this past season, with McClain at 106 and Hartford at 94, and both seemed to perform well in their limited roles, albeit against mostly backups and lesser competition. There is every bit a chance that one of them will take this job and run with it, but there is also a world where Ohio State could look to add a more veteran experienced player to the mix.
Hancock’s nickel spot is a little more interesting, as there are a variety of guys who could throw their hat in the mix this season. Lorenzo Styles Jr. was the primary backup to Hancock last season, but it is unclear whether that is a role that really suits his skillset. Ohio State has a pair of second-year corner backs itching to get on the field in Bryce West and Aaron Scott, both of which could be fits for what is effectively a slot corner position, as well as incoming five-star freshman Devin Sanchez.
There are a lot of bodies in this secondary, and many of them come with lofty recruiting rankings, but nobody outside of maybe Styles has played many meaningful reps against top end competition, if at all. There is a very realistic world where the Buckeyes can more than get the job done with the players already on campus, but it wouldn’t be unexpected for Ohio State to at least take a look at what the transfer portal has to offer on the back end.
It is a testament to the roster that Ryan Day and his staff have managed to put together that one of the most likely positions the team could fill in the spring transfer window, even given the insane turnover of this offseason, is a backup quarterback job, but that spiritually feels like a very possible if not probable move that could come in the near future.
Will Howard made the most of his one-year stint at Ohio State, with a national title trophy in-hand and a significantly improved NFL Draft stock, and he leaves behind him a quarterback room that is very young but also very talented.
By all accounts, Julian Sayin will enter the season as the Buckeyes’ QB1. Sayin played only 20 snaps and attempted just 12 passes in 2024, but it isn’t uncommon for an Ohio State quarterback to enter their first year at the helm with little experience — see: C.J. Stroud, and that worked out pretty well! Sayin was the No. 1 QB and No. 6 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, and was the quarterback that Day had his eye on and continued to pursue even after his commitment to Alabama.
Behind Sayin, who himself is a redshirt freshman, is redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz and incoming five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair. Kienholz played eight total snaps this past season and has attempted only 22 total passes over two years in Columbus. St. Clair, while tremendously talented, played in a lower level of high school football in Ohio and likely won’t be ready to burst onto the scene right from the jump, though his time will come.
If something were to happen that forced Sayin to miss part of a game or even a stretch of games, I’m not sure that Ohio State can really ask a lot of either of the current backups. As such, it would make sense to bring in a veteran quarterback who could at least play a point guard role in a pinch. This isn’t going to be a Justin Fields type of transfer QB, but more so in the mold of a Chris Chugunov or a Tristan Gebbia style individual.
With both Devin Brown and Air Noland entering the transfer portal this offseason, I’d be a little surprised if Ryan Day would be willing to go into a season — especially one that can now span up to 16 games — with only three scholarship quarterbacks, none of whom with any starting experience at the college level.
Continue reading...
Gene Ross via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Buckeyes are not done yet adding to their 2025 roster.
Ohio State did a great job addressing some key areas of its 2025 roster in the first transfer portal window, even despite it coming in the middle of the program’s College Football Playoff run.
The Buckeyes made some big splashes with guys like offensive tackle Ethan Onianwa and tight end Max Klare, added capable P4 performers in OT Phillip Daniels and running back CJ Donaldson, and created additional depth via the FCS ranks with defensive end Logan George and linebacker Ty Howard. They also managed to bring back RB Sam Williams-Dixon, who entered the portal but elected to return to Columbus.
That being said, Ohio State’s national title-winning roster experienced massive turnover this offseason. The Buckeyes’ offense loses seven of its 12 starters (counting TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins as co-starters) from the championship game, and that doesn’t even include Seth McLaughlin and Josh Simmons, who both started on the offensive line prior to season-ending injuries. On defense, the Silver Bullets lose eight of the 11 full-time starters, which notably includes the entire defensive line.
While the Ohio State roster is still loaded with talent and a bunch of guys are ready to step in and fill the big shoes left by their predecessors, head coach Ryan Day has not closed the door on more potential additions to the roster during the spring transfer window, which opens on April 16.
“Coming out of the spring will give us a lot of information on where we are in all position groups,” Day told the media last week. “We’ll use the portal as an opportunity to fill holes. We did a little bit of that during the first portal, but the challenge was that we were still playing our season. [...] But I’m looking forward to the spring, identifying it and jumping in to see if we have any holes.”
If Ohio State does elect to dip its toes into the transfer portal yet again in a month’s time, there are a few key positions where adding an experienced player seems the most likely ahead of the Buckeyes opening spring practice. While that can obviously change once the current group takes the field, these three positions seem the most likely to receive some help via the portal if needed...
1. Defensive Line
The first and most obvious, as a result of the aforementioned departures, is along the defensive line, whether that be on the edge or at tackle — or both.
Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau played the vast majority of snaps at defensive end this past season, as the senior duo combined for 21.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss. The pair of former five-stars played a huge role in the resurgence of Ohio State’s defense down the stretch, and replacing them will not be easy. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry are the clear heir apparents — both of whom were top-15 edge rushers in the 2022 class — but beyond them, nobody else on the current roster played more than 25 snaps this past year.
The room got some help with the addition of Logan George in the first transfer window, who posted 6.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss last season for Idaho State, but the Big Ten will obviously be a huge step up in competition from the FCS ranks. Outside of that, the position group will also see a familiar face in a new role as CJ Hicks finally moves to the edge after beginning his career at linebacker. We have seen Hicks show potential down near the line of scrimmage, but the full extent of his role this year is still unclear.
The Buckeyes do have some young talent at defensive end who could perhaps crack the depth chart, with Joshua Mickens and Dominic Kirks heading into year two and Zion Grady coming in as a top-100 overall player with the potential to make an instant impact, but it would not be at all surprising for Larry Johnson to try and add another veteran body to that room.
Tackle is a little less murky, even despite losing Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, as both Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald saw pretty regular snaps last season. Ohio State also has Ole Miss transfer Tywone Malone at the position as well as Jason Moore, who was a top-70 player nationally in the 2023 class. With Will Smith Jr. and Eric Mensch also in that room as young depth, it seems less likely the Buckeyes look at add at tackle unless there is a perfect fit that comes along, which you can never rule out.
2. Safety
It seems funny to list safety as a need for Ohio State when the Buckeyes currently lay claim to the best defensive player in college football in safety Caleb Downs, but that is obviously not the position they need to replace. That would be at the other two safety spots (for the sake of simplicity, i’m including the nickel as a safety), where the back end of the defense loses two key cogs in Lathan Ransom and Jordan Hancock.
Ransom and Hancock were both tremendous players for Ohio State this past season, and would both have received far more acclaim nationally had they not be overshadowed by playing next to Downs. Ransom finished fourth on the team with 76 tackles to go along with nine tackles for loss, a sack, a pick and a team-high three forced fumbles. Hancock finished second on the team with eight pass breakups and tallied 48 tackles, but a lot of his contributions don't show up on the stat sheet despite his clear importance to the defense as a whole.
Both of those guys played well over 700 snaps in 2024, and now two players must step into those critical roles with very little experience comparatively.
The current position battle for Ransom’s safety spot is likely between Jaylen McClain and Malik Hartford. That duo played roughly the same amount of snaps this past season, with McClain at 106 and Hartford at 94, and both seemed to perform well in their limited roles, albeit against mostly backups and lesser competition. There is every bit a chance that one of them will take this job and run with it, but there is also a world where Ohio State could look to add a more veteran experienced player to the mix.
Hancock’s nickel spot is a little more interesting, as there are a variety of guys who could throw their hat in the mix this season. Lorenzo Styles Jr. was the primary backup to Hancock last season, but it is unclear whether that is a role that really suits his skillset. Ohio State has a pair of second-year corner backs itching to get on the field in Bryce West and Aaron Scott, both of which could be fits for what is effectively a slot corner position, as well as incoming five-star freshman Devin Sanchez.
There are a lot of bodies in this secondary, and many of them come with lofty recruiting rankings, but nobody outside of maybe Styles has played many meaningful reps against top end competition, if at all. There is a very realistic world where the Buckeyes can more than get the job done with the players already on campus, but it wouldn’t be unexpected for Ohio State to at least take a look at what the transfer portal has to offer on the back end.
3. Veteran QB
It is a testament to the roster that Ryan Day and his staff have managed to put together that one of the most likely positions the team could fill in the spring transfer window, even given the insane turnover of this offseason, is a backup quarterback job, but that spiritually feels like a very possible if not probable move that could come in the near future.
Will Howard made the most of his one-year stint at Ohio State, with a national title trophy in-hand and a significantly improved NFL Draft stock, and he leaves behind him a quarterback room that is very young but also very talented.
By all accounts, Julian Sayin will enter the season as the Buckeyes’ QB1. Sayin played only 20 snaps and attempted just 12 passes in 2024, but it isn’t uncommon for an Ohio State quarterback to enter their first year at the helm with little experience — see: C.J. Stroud, and that worked out pretty well! Sayin was the No. 1 QB and No. 6 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class, and was the quarterback that Day had his eye on and continued to pursue even after his commitment to Alabama.
Behind Sayin, who himself is a redshirt freshman, is redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz and incoming five-star freshman Tavien St. Clair. Kienholz played eight total snaps this past season and has attempted only 22 total passes over two years in Columbus. St. Clair, while tremendously talented, played in a lower level of high school football in Ohio and likely won’t be ready to burst onto the scene right from the jump, though his time will come.
If something were to happen that forced Sayin to miss part of a game or even a stretch of games, I’m not sure that Ohio State can really ask a lot of either of the current backups. As such, it would make sense to bring in a veteran quarterback who could at least play a point guard role in a pinch. This isn’t going to be a Justin Fields type of transfer QB, but more so in the mold of a Chris Chugunov or a Tristan Gebbia style individual.
With both Devin Brown and Air Noland entering the transfer portal this offseason, I’d be a little surprised if Ryan Day would be willing to go into a season — especially one that can now span up to 16 games — with only three scholarship quarterbacks, none of whom with any starting experience at the college level.
Continue reading...