The college football transfer portal reopens to all players on Monday.
Will Ohio State be active? What are the Buckeyes‘ needs?
Ohio State football transfer portal needs
It seems certain the Ohio State staff will target offensive linemen, addressing one of the biggest holes on the roster.
The Buckeyes suffered issues with depth during the regular season after center Seth McLaughlin and left tackle Josh Simmons went down with injuries.
forgoing his remaining year of eligibility to leave for the NFL.
As right guard Tegra Tshabola projects to be the only returning starting offensive linemen from when the Buckeyes broke training camp in August, they will need to rebuild in the trenches.
Attrition is expected as well on the defensive side of the ball. Eight of the 11 starters against Michigan were seniors with expiring eligibility. The Buckeyes will need help as a result.
Special teams is a wild card. Will the Buckeyes continue to rely on kicker Jayden Fielding, who missed field goals of 34 and 38 yards against Michigan, or explore another option?
Who could leave Ohio State?
At least three Ohio State players have confirmed they will enter the portal.
Wide receivers Kojo Antwi and Jayden Ballard and linebacker Gabe Powers announced their plans this week, and more are inevitable in this era of churn.
The position to watch is quarterback as the Buckeyes have a crowded room of passers even with Will Howard moving on.
With only two years of eligibility left, would backup quarterback Devin Brown leave if he is not in line to replace Howard? Or Air Noland, who was behind the other four scholarship quarterbacks on the depth?
The Buckeyes kept all five through the spring window last April, but that could prove more the exception than the rule.
Ohio State football transfer portal history
The Buckeyes began using the portal soon after it went live in October 2018, picking up quarterback Justin Fields as a transfer from Georgia.
But even as the NCAA has loosened restrictions on transfers, they have remained selective.
Ohio State has not added more than nine transfers in a cycle, and among the 18 schools in the Big Ten, only Iowa, Northwestern, Penn State and Rutgers added more last offseason, according to tracking by 247Sports.
As with Fields nearly six years ago and continuing with the recent additions of quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs, the Buckeyes have sought high-end talent in the portal to supplement the roster.
High school recruiting remains a priority for Ohio State, which just signed a class of 26 prep prospects earlier this week.
With departures, most who have left the program over the years have been backups searching for more opportunities for playing time.
Kyle McCord, the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback who transferred to Syracuse last year, was anomaly, as was Jameson Williams, a starting wide receiver who left for Alabama in 2021.
How college football transfer portal works
Once a player decides to enter the transfer portal and notifies the university, the school has 48 hours to report this information to an online database that lists athletes wishing to continue their careers elsewhere. Coaches from other programs can view the updates in real-time as the database is continuously refreshed with new information, allowing them to begin recruiting these players right away.
After the portal reopens on Monday, it will not close until Dec. 28, giving players 20 days to submit a notification to transfer to their school’s compliance staff.
When does transfer portal open?
The winter NCAA transfer portal will officially open on Monday, Dec. 9 and will close on Saturday, Dec. 28 for the 2024-25 school year. When a player decides to enter the transfer portal, they must inform their university, which will then submit the necessary information within 48 hours.
How long is the transfer portal open?
After the portal reopens on Monday, it will not close until Dec. 28, giving players 20 days to submit a notification to transfer to their school’s compliance staff.
What are transfer portal changes for 2024
The transfer portal windows for football has been reduced from 45 to 30 days. The 30 days will be split, with a 20-day window following the conclusion of conference championship games in December and another 10-day window in April.Â
Is there a commitment deadline?
No. The transfer windows only regulate entry into the portal. Players who enter the portal can commit to transfer to schools any time.
Must players transfer after entry?
It is not a requirement, though common. Ohio State saw 26 scholarship players enter the portal during the previous spring and winter windows, and only wide receiver Bryson Rodgers withdrew from the portal to remain with the Buckeyes.
Can they remain on the team while in the portal?
In some circumstances. Former linebacker Teradja Mitchell entered the portal weeks before the Buckeyes met Georgia in a semifinal in 2022, but he remained with them for the playoff. Most players who enter the portal move on.
Day said Sunday that the Buckeyes would consider portal-bound players’ participation in the playoff on a case-by-case basis.
“It’s not their fault,” Day said. “It’s just the way it’s designed that they ave to make decisions while we’re getting ready to go play in the playoff.”
