BOOM
Former Duke safety Terry Moore, a second-team All-ACC honoree in 2024, commits to Ohio State.
Update: This article was initially published before the commitment of former Duke safety Terry Moore on Monday. It has since been updated to reflect his addition.
Ohio State has added seven potential starters through the transfer portal, but some of the Buckeyes’ most pressing roster holes remain unfilled.
As of Monday morning, 10 days after the transfer portal opened, Ohio State still hasn’t landed a cornerback or defensive end. The Buckeyes still don’t have a kicker on their roster for 2026. They remain in the market for depth at quarterback and running back, while they could still add another defensive tackle, wide receiver and tight end despite already making additions at those positions. They should at least be evaluating potential upgrades along the offensive line and at punter.
A combination of factors has contributed to those needs not being met yet. Ohio State has always taken a more patient approach to the transfer portal than many of its counterparts, so just because the Buckeyes haven’t signed more players yet doesn’t mean they won’t. They draw a firmer line in the sand than many schools about how much they’ll play players, which has led to them being outbid for some targets like former Penn State defensive end Chaz Coleman, who signed with Tennessee. With returning stars to pay like Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin and a 28-man class of incoming freshmen, they’ve intentionally been more prudent about who they’ve gone after and how much they’ve offered.
All of that said, Ohio State has to land several more high-level transfers to have a national championship-caliber roster in 2026. Having lost 28 scholarship players to the transfer portal – by far the most the Buckeyes have ever lost in a single portal cycle – Ohio State has only 84 players on scholarship as of Monday, leaving seven open spots with the potential for more to still open if anyone else enters the portal or declares for the NFL draft.
With that in mind, we take a look at the biggest needs the Buckeyes still have to fill and where things stand in their pursuit of talent at every position.
Major Needs
Kicker
Ohio State still doesn’t have a single kicker on its roster for the 2026 season. No clear target has emerged yet for the Buckeyes to fill that void, but they have to find someone – ideally, a kicker who’s already proven he can make 50-yard field goals and deliver in clutch situations. After keeping Jackson Courville on the bench behind Jayden Fielding and losing him to the transfer portal, the Buckeyes are banking on finding an upgrade, but we’re still waiting to find out who that might be.
Cornerback
Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez are the only cornerbacks still on the roster who played more than three snaps last season. With only two other returning scholarship cornerbacks in Miles Lockhart and Jordyn Woods (plus two incoming freshmen in Jordan Thomas and Jay Timmons), Ohio State ideally needs two more cornerbacks to fill out its 2026 depth chart. While Florida State safety transfer Earl Little Jr. could be a candidate to play nickel after the Buckeyes added another starting-caliber safety in Duke transfer Terry Moore, the Buckeyes still have no clear next man up at CB behind Mathews and Sanchez.
Ohio State hosted two candidates to fill those spots in Auburn transfer Kayin Lee and Maryland transfer La’Khi Roland, but struck out on both as Lee signed with Tennessee and Roland signed with Tennessee. There aren’t any clear candidates for Ohio State to add at cornerback right now, but the Buckeyes will be in a precarious position if they don’t find at least one after losing Davison Igbinosun, Lorenzo Styles Jr., Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West from last season.
Defensive End
Assuming Kenyatta Jackson Jr. returns for his fifth-year senior season, this need isn’t as dire as cornerback or kicker, but it’s still a top-priority position for an addition. Zion Grady is a candidate to start opposite Jackson next season while Ohio State will hope to get more out of Beau Atkinson in his second year as a Buckeye, but they’re the only other defensive ends on the roster who played snaps of significance last season, so Ohio State needs another edge defender with experience to feel good about its pass-rush rotation for 2026.
With Coleman off the board, Ohio State’s only confirmed edge defender visitor who hasn’t yet committed to another school is Alabama transfer Qua Russaw, who’s more of a hybrid linebacker than a true defensive end but would likely play on the edge for the Buckeyes. Other potential targets still on the board include Missouri transfer Damon Wilson and Florida State transfers Mandrell and Darryll Desir, but they look more like hypothetical upgrades than real options right now.
Could Use Another
Defensive Tackle
Ohio State addressed its need for a starting-caliber nose tackle to replace Kayden McDonald by landing a commitment last week from UCF transfer John Walker, but the Buckeyes are still looking for a second transfer defensive tackle to round out its two-deep with Walker, Eddrick Houston and Will Smith Jr.
The Buckeyes hosted two strong options to fill that need last week by bringing in Alabama transfer James Smith – who visited alongside Russaw, as the two will likely transfer to the same school – and Pittsburgh transfer Francis Brewu. Landing either one of them would constitute a strong transfer portal haul at defensive tackle for Ohio State and give the Buckeyes a solid core at the position.
#Buckeyes pic.twitter.com/uAoV4BlcQR
— Francis Brewu (@FBrewu) January 11, 2026
Wide Receiver
Ohio State added a productive veteran receiver with last week’s commitment from UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, giving the Buckeyes another candidate alongside incoming five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. to join Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss in the starting lineup. A lack of experienced depth at wide receiver remains a concern, however, after Quincy Porter, Mylan Graham and Bryson Rodgers all opted to enter the portal.
It’s unclear how hard the Buckeyes are actually pursuing another transfer receiver, as they seem to have faded out of the running for Texas transfer DeAndre Moore Jr., but they’ve already had one commitment come out of nowhere with McCuin. Unless they want to have to rely heavily on true or redshirt freshman receivers this fall, they need to add another veteran wideout.
Safety
| CLASS | POS | NAME | STAR RATING | FORMER SCHOOLS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JR (RS) | TE | MASON WILLIAMS | ★★★ | OHIO |
| SR (RS) | LS | DALTON RIGGS | N/A | UCF, BYU |
| JR (RS) | DT | JOHN WALKER | ★★★★ | UCF |
| SR | WR | DEVIN MCCUIN | ★★★ | UTSA |
| SR | LB | CHRISTIAN ALLIEGRO | ★★★ | WISCONSIN |
| SR (RS) | S | EARL LITTLE JR. | ★★★★ | FLORIDA STATE |
| SR (RS) | S | TERRY MOORE | ★★★ | DUKE |
Ohio State added two potential starters at safety with the additions of Earl Little Jr. and Terry Moore, but they still have just four scholarship safeties – Little, Moore, Jaylen McClain and Leroy Roker III – who have played snaps at the collegiate level.
Ohio State has the numbers it needs now at safety with 10 total scholarship players at the position, and incoming freshman Blaine Bradford is a candidate for immediate playing time. But with the lack of depth the Buckeyes have at cornerback and the possibility that Little and/or Roker could factor in at nickelback, Ohio State could still use one more safety with experience for additional depth, though this is nowhere as big of a need as it was two days ago.
Tight End
If Max Klare stays for his fifth-year senior season, Ohio State will already have what it needs at tight end. If Klare enters the NFL draft, however, Ohio State wants to add one more tight end alongside Ohio transfer Mason Williams, the Buckeyes’ first addition of portal season, to bolster its experience and depth at the position alongside Nate Roberts and Bennett Christian.
Former Northwestern tight end Hunter Welcing is the leading candidate to be a second addition at tight end after visiting Ohio State last week. Welcing told Eleven Warriors on Sunday that his visit to Ohio State was “great.”
“It was my first time in Columbus touring the facility but was really impressed with everything,” Welcing said. “The staff was awesome and I really liked (tight ends coach Keenan Bailey and head coach Ryan Day).”
Looking for Depth
Running Back
Running back would have rocketed into the major need category if Bo Jackson had entered the transfer portal, but the Buckeyes were able to retain their starting running back after negotiations with the rising sophomore. That said, the Buckeyes are still looking for a transfer running back to add experience and depth, with only Jackson and Isaiah West returning as scholarship RBs from last season.
Ohio State has hosted two potential candidates to fill that role in Michigan State transfer Makhi Frazier and Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson, but both remained uncommitted as of Sunday night. The Buckeyes don’t need to add a feature back with Bo still in the fold, but they do need someone who can come in and contribute next season with how young and inexperienced they are at the position.
Quarterback
Ryan Day likes to have four scholarship quarterbacks on his roster, and Ohio State currently has only three for 2026. Two of them are a redshirt freshman (Tavien St. Clair) and a true freshman (Luke Fahey), so the Buckeyes are looking for a quarterback with some experience to round out their depth chart.
Ohio State hosted two candidates to fill that role this past week as former Maryland and UCLA quarterback Justyn Martin and former Colorado quarterback Ryan Staub were each on campus for visits.
Should Be Considering Options
Offensive Line
Ohio State hasn’t yet hosted any known transfer visitors on the offensive line, so it appears the Buckeyes might be content to stick with what they have. Assuming no further attrition to the NFL draft or the transfer portal, they may already have what they need, with seven of their top eight offensive linemen – including every starter except Tegra Tshabola – returning from last season.
If the Buckeyes don’t add any offensive linemen from the portal, though, they’ll be banking on their returners playing much better than they did in Ohio State’s losses to Indiana and Miami to end this past season. After the Buckeyes gave up 10 sacks in those two games, they’d have good reason to add more competition up front. That said, there aren’t many offensive linemen who have entered the portal that would be clear upgrades over the players the Buckeyes already have – and that’s probably a big reason why they haven’t been more aggressive in pursuing a transfer addition.
Punter
Punter is another area where many Buckeye fans would like to see Ohio State make an upgrade through the transfer portal, yet it remains unclear if the Buckeyes will.
Ohio State could choose to run it back with Joe McGuire for a third season, and the Buckeyes haven’t yet been formally linked to any transfer punters. At the very least, though, Ohio State needs to add a punter to back up McGuire after Nick McLarty transferred to Arizona State. The Buckeyes could go the walk-on route if they view McGuire as their starter for 2026, but considering Ohio State ranked just 79th nationally with 42.5 yards per punt in 2025, OSU should be looking for someone who can give McGuire real competition for the job.
Likely Set
Linebacker
As long as all the linebackers who are currently on the roster remain on the roster through the end of the week, Ohio State shouldn’t need to add any more linebackers after landing a commitment last week from Wisconsin transfer Christian Alliegro. Even with Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese off to the NFL, the Buckeyes have a strong top three at the position with Alliegro, Payton Pierce and Riley Pettijohn, and six other scholarship linebackers led by TJ Alford and Garrett Stover to provide depth behind them.
Long Snapper
Ohio State will need to add a second long snapper for depth purposes after losing all three of its long snappers from last season, but that will very likely be a walk-on after the Buckeyes signed UCF transfer Dalton Riggs to be their starting long snapper in 2026.
