BANNER OF BOOMS
S Terry Moore, TE Hunter Welcing and QB Justyn Martin commit to Ohio State.
Tegra Tshabola's college career will conclude one state south of where he spent his first four years.
The redshirt senior offensive guard, who started two seasons with the Buckeyes, committed to Kentucky from the transfer portal on Monday.
Kentucky has landed a commitment from Ohio State offensive guard transfer Tegra Tshabola, his agency @3strandsports tells me and @chris_hummer.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 12, 2026
Tshabola, who is repped by @EugeneTLee, was a two-year starter at Ohio State and an All-Big Ten honorable mention pick last season. pic.twitter.com/1qBczXIo4J
Tshabola started 29 combined games at right guard in 2024 and 2025 at Ohio State, though he rotated at the position for many of those games. A mauler with good athleticism at his peak, he was marred by inconsistency for much of his time with the Buckeyes, though he'll always be part of 2024's national-championship-winning offensive line.
Had Tshabola stayed at Ohio State for 2026, he would have faced competition for his starting spot. Padilla and VanSickle are both candidates to be Ohio State’s starting right guard in 2026, while the Buckeyes could also consider the possibility of moving Austin Siereveld or Phillip Daniels to guard to put Ian Moore into the starting lineup at tackle.
Ohio State is also evaluating transfer portal options along the offensive line, though the position is always at a premium in the portal. The goal will be to produce better results than the final two games of the 2025 season, when the Buckeyes allowed 10 combined sacks in the Big Ten Championship Game vs. Indiana and the College Football Playoff quarterfinals vs. Miami.
