Back in August, I made a write-up about how each transfer from Ohio State was fitting in at their new schools. I figured, with the regular season wrapping up, it would be fitting to recap how each one actually performed throughout the year!
Devin Brown, QB, JR(RS), California:
Devin Brown transferred to California looking to be the guy for the Golden Bears and hopefully mentor talented freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele in his first collegiate season. However, Sagapolutele's raw talent won out over Brown's experience, as he was named the starting quarterback for Cal. As the backup, Brown came into five games during the season -- blowout wins over Oregon State and Texas Southern, blowout losses to San Diego State and Duke, and for one play in a tight game against North Carolina when Sagapolutele was knocked out of the game. Brown finished the regular season 4-for-7 passing for 48 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. While Brown was often used to run during his time at Ohio State, he had only three carries for -15 yards for the Golden Bears. With Sagapolutele seemingly the future in Berkeley, it's likely Brown will transfer once again for what will be his final season in college. He will have one more game with Cal, as the Golden Bears have been selected to the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve. Pure speculation, but I would be interested in seeing him potentially reunite with Brian Hartline at South Florida!
Air Noland, QB, FR (RS), South Carolina:
Noland dealt with a lot of homesickness during his time at Ohio State, and with Julian Sayin transferring in and likely passing him up, Noland opted to transfer closer to home and join South Carolina. It was never the intention for him to start this year, as he was behind (at the time) NFL Draft prospect and returning starter LaNorris Sellers and 5th Year Senior Luke Doty. Noland did enter one game for the Gamecocks, a 51-7 shellacking of Coastal Carolina, and finished the season 2-for-3 passing for 13 yards, along with 1 carry for 4 yards. South Carolina finished 4-8 this season and will not make a bowl game. Though Sellers didn't have the stellar season he had hoped for and will likely return to college, it's been rumored he will hit the transfer portal and potentially end up at a school like Oregon or Miami (FL) that loves transfer QBs. And with Doty graduating, it may be time for Noland to take over the reins in Columbia.
T.C. Caffey, RB, SO (RS), Youngstown State:
After several injuries during his career at Ohio State, Caffey, a former walk-on, opted for the transfer portal to find playing time. He chose to stay close to home, joining the Youngstown State Penguins in the FCS ranks. Despite his Power 4 experience, Caffey struggled to find playing time at YSU. He was tied as the 7th rusher on the team, with 5 carries for 39 yards. He played in two games for the Penguins, a blowout of Robert Morris and a close match with Towson. But, with two of YSU's lead backs, Ethan Wright and Tahir Mills, being seniors, it opens the door for more carries for Caffey in 2026, should he choose to return to the Penguins. He's possibly still recovering from his torn ACL that ended his 2024 campaign at OSU as well, which could have hampered his abilities. The Penguins had a good season this year, finishing 8-5 and 3rd in the notoriously tough MVFC, with a playoff loss to Yale, who pulled off a 28-point comeback to win. In my opinion, Caffey would be wise to return to Youngstown State, as he has multiple years of eligibility left due to his medical issues, and hopefully become an impact player for the Penguins.
Kojo Antwi, WR, JR (RS), Colorado State:
Despite entering the transfer portal before the playoffs last year, Antwi stayed with his commitment to the Buckeyes and stuck with the team through their championship run. However, in practice leading up to the National Championship, Antwi suffered a ruptured Achilles. After transferring to Colorado State, Antwi made a fast recovery through fall camp and was able to return on September 20th for the Rams game against UTSA, where he had one reception for 3 yards. Despite aspirations to start, Antwi was the backup slot receiver behind Tommy Maher for much of the year. He played in five games for the Rams, all losses, against UTSA, San Diego State, Wyoming, UNLV, and New Mexico. The game against the Lobos was his best outing, with 4 catches for 27 yards. He finished the season with 8 receptions for 48 yards, a far cry from what he had likely hoped for but one that ended with a promising performance against UNM. The Rams tumultuous season ended with a 2-10 record where head coach Jay Norvell was fired midseason. Antwi may opt to transfer out in January with Norvell's firing, however, incoming head coach Jim Mora offers lots of promise to the Rams after his successful turnaround at UConn.
Jayden Ballard, WR, SR (RS), Wisconsin:
Ballard transferred out for his final year of eligibility, hoping to find better playing time. He transferred to Wisconsin in hopes of carving out a role in Luke Fickell's team's offense. Ballard had receptions in the Badgers first four games of the season, wins over Miami (OH) and Middle Tennessee State and losses to Alabama and Maryland. However, despite playing in the remaining 8 games still, Ballard had no receptions in any of those games, even though he was the Badgers third option at WR. This is probably less on Ballard and more on the complete ineptitude of Wisconsin's Quarterbacks. Expected starter Billy Edwards Jr. went down in game one with injury, then backup Danny O'Neil did as well. Backup Hunter Simmons, a transfer from Southern Illinois in the FCS who never even started there, and freshman Carter Smith then split time as the starters. It got so bad for Wisconsin that their punter Sean West led their passing in one game (shockingly, a win over then-ranked Wisconsin). Unfortunately for Ballard, this caused him to be unable to really reach his true potential in what will be his last collegiate season. Ballard finished the season with 7 catches for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Wisconsin finished the season 4-8, though they opted to retain head coach Luke Fickell.
P.S.: I really hope the Buckeyes go after Sean West in the portal to be our punter, he was genuinely the best part of that team from what I have seen this season.
Reis Stocksdale, WR, SR (RS), Bowling Green:
Stocksdale was a walk-on wide receiver for Ohio State who saw the field sparingly during garbage time games. His career as a Buckeye was promising at first but was derailed by injuries, and he eventually transferred to another Ohio team, the Bowling Green Falcons. In his last collegiate season, Stocksdale wasn't a starter but was on the field several times as the backup slot receiver behind Allen Middleton. Stocksdale recorded catches in three games -- wins over Lafayette and Liberty, and a loss to Cincinnati. He finished the season with 4 receptions for 23 yards as the Falcons stumbled to 4-8 in coach Eddie George's first year at the helm.
Still working on compiling everything! I'll be sure to update this as I work on it!
