Ohio State experienced its most active transfer period since the start of the NIL, with 30 scholarship players exiting the program and 16 recruits heading to Columbus. Overall, the Buckeyes have done a good job of filling some holes on the roster with talent and experience, but depth has taken a hit across the board.
The vast majority of those who are departing will find themselves lower on the depth chart heading into 2026, but there are a few who are departing who could play significant roles for Ohio State in the coming year.
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Only one starter entered the transfer portal last season, and that was right back Tegra Tsabra. The senior offensive lineman played more than 1,300 snaps for the Buckeyes but missed the Cotton Bowl due to injury. Chabora has struggled with consistency throughout his career, and it’s unlikely he’ll get his starting job moving forward.
Offensively, the only current player who regularly sees snaps is James Peoples. The sophomore running back later transferred to Penn State and ranked third on the team with 344 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Peoples will likely be third on the depth chart next season behind Bo Jackson and Isaiah West.
Ohio State loses two former five-star wide receivers in addition to players who have already seen the field Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter. Graham played 160 snaps for the Buckeyes last season, catching six passes for 93 yards. Porter missed the 2025 season due to injury and played only 57 snaps, catching four balls for 59 yards.
With Carnell Tate departing for the NFL, both Graham and Porter are expected to have rotating roles in 2026 – Porter in particular seems ready to take the next step. However, with five-star Chris Henry also set to join the team, there’s no guarantee anyone will start.
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Both wide receivers ultimately committed to Notre Dame and will immediately become the top two choices in the room.
On the other side of the ball, Faheem Delain, Aaron Scott and Bryce West High school was a big loss.
Scott, a star special teams player, appears poised to earn the starting job in 2026 if Ohio State decides to move Jermaine Mathews Jr. inside and Devin Sanchez play outside. Delaine played the second-most snaps among all returning safeties and will likely earn the spot for Caleb Downs or Lorenzo Styles Jr. to take over.
Front, Jax Carter is a guy who can definitely push for playing time. With Edrick Houston and Will Smith Jr. returning as the team’s only experienced interior defensive linemen, Carter will at least be a part of the rotation. Instead, he decided to take his talents to Miami.
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Ohio State also lost two specialists. Jackson Cowell Transferred to Tulane from Ball State before last season and never attempted a shot for the Buckeyes. Nick McLartywas a sophomore punter who also never saw the field in Columbus before transferring to Arizona State.
All of those losses, and of course a slew of NFL draft picks — Towns, Tate, Styles Jr., Kaden Curry, Davidson Ibinoson, Max Clare, Kayden McDonald, Avel Reese and Sonny Styles, to name a few — leave Ohio State’s roster in a precarious position going into the 2026 campaign.
Ryan Day and his staff have a lot of holes to fill, and with a slew of underclassmen heading to the transfer portal, there aren’t many obvious candidates internally. Fortunately, Ohio State has done a good job of adding a bunch of key players who will play important roles for the Buckeyes next season.
The offense added six players, including two wide receivers, two tight ends, a running back and a backup quarterback.
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hunter welsing and Mason Williams Filling the roles of Max Klare and Will Kacmarek respectively. Welsing, a Northwestern commit, caught 28 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats last year. Williams is more of an interior blocking tight end and ranks fifth in Ohio State’s offense according to PFF.
Devon McCune and Kyle Parker It’s your two new wide receivers. McQueen had 726 yards and eight touchdowns at UTSA in 2025 and will likely be in the rotation at Ohio State. Parker had 330 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore at LSU, and the speedy receiver already has experience under wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton and could make his mark on the field in Columbus early.
Justin Martin and Jacoby Jackson Perfect offensive complement. Martin came over from Maryland to help relieve Julian Saine, while Jackson came over from Florida State to join a three-man rotation that featured Bo Jackson and Isaiah West.
Ohio State has a heavy workload on defense, losing to the NFL in addition to losing to a number of potential contributors in the transfer portal. Still, the Buckeyes managed to reload a bit, adding three defensive linemen, two safeties, two cornerbacks and a linebacker.
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No one can replace McDonald’s production, but James Smith and John Walker Will have an immediate impact on the interior defensive line room. Walker, a stocky 6-foot-4, 324-pounder, was a standout run blocker at UCF, while Smith, a former five-star recruit at Alabama, was more of a pass rusher with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks last season.
Quaruso is a raw but interesting player out of Ohio State who came from the Crimson Tide in the Smith package deal. Russo is officially listed as a linebacker and will likely be the Buckeyes’ leading edge rusher. The 6-foot-2, 243-pound guard played in just seven games in 2025 due to injury, but he showed the athleticism and physicality that Larry Johnson can certainly match up with.
Ohio State lost two starting linebackers to the NFL Draft, and players like Peyton Pierce and Riley Pettyjohn appear ready to step up and bring in Christian Allegro It can only further strengthen that room. Like Russo, Allegro excels as a pass rusher and had eight tackles and four tackles for a loss last season.
The Buckeyes have done a great job of addressing tight cornerback space, adding Cam Calhoun from alabama and Dominic Kelly From Georgia. Calhoun was one of the top-rated corners in the 2024 class while at Utah but didn’t play much with the Tide. Kelly, meanwhile, is a top-40 prospect in the 2025 recruiting class and has a rotation role as a freshman in Athens.
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Both safeties will start for Ohio State next season. Earl Little Jr.Spent last year at Florida State and will likely line up at the nickel, while Terry MooreHe will join Jalen McClain at guard, after Duke missed all of last season with an ACL injury. Little leads the Seminoles with 76 tackles and four interceptions in 2025, while Moore is the nation’s second-leading safety in 2024, according to PFF.
Next, of course, is perhaps the most exciting addition of the entire transfer portal window: kicking football.
Ohio State finally has a real edge under Ryan Day, tamper Convince former Baylor kicker Connor Hawkins Taking his talents to Columbus. As a freshman, Hawkins shot 18-of-22 from the field, including 10-of-10 from 40 yards or less and 3-of-4 from 50 yards or more.
Last season, Hawkins scored the game-winning 53-yard field goal against Kansas State. Ohio State, on the other hand, hasn’t had a kicker hit 50 yards since Blake Haubeil in 2019.
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It’s too early to give a full grade on this transfer portal category, as we thought last season’s results were pretty good too before we see it play out on the pitch. However, by the looks of it, Ohio State has done an excellent job of replenishing its roster, and as always, there’s reason to be optimistic about the Buckeyes heading into 2026.
