Good things come to those who wait.
It seemed to some that the sky was falling for Ohio State in the opening days of transfer portal mayhem, but the Buckeyes turned things around with six commitments in the last 48 hours. On Sunday, they landed a second-team All-ACC safety in Earl Little Jr. On Monday, they made a huge splash with five commitments, including three more instant-impact defenders: Alabama defensive line duo James Smith and Qua Russaw and Duke safety Terry Moore.
With those additions, Ohio State's roster is starting to take shape for 2026. Particularly on the defensive side of the football, as the Buckeyes seem ready to go back to three safeties in their 4-2-5 defense with Little projected as their nickel. There are still needs for Ohio State to address, however, with kicker being at the top of the list alongside depth at cornerback and offensive line upgrades, should any be available.
Thus far, 29 former Buckeyes have entered the portal, but the majority of them are backups who would have stayed backups. The only starter to leave was right guard Tegra Tshabola, but we feel there's a good chance he wouldn't have been Ohio State's starter again in 2026. Ohio State would have certainly liked to keep up-and-coming players like Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West, Quincy Porter and Faheem Delane, but the Buckeyes are far from the only school being hit with significant transfer portal attrition this year.
We break down the Buckeyes’ newest commitments and which transfer additions we think will make the biggest impacts in 2026, along with what the Buckeyes still need to add and the impact of the players they lost, on a new episode of Press Coverage, which you can watch at the top of the page.
