More than half of Ohio State’s roster of scholarship players will be different in 2026 than it was in 2025.
More than half of Ohio State’s roster of scholarship players will be different in 2026 than it was in 2025.
Including 31 transfer portal departures, five early NFL draft entries and 11 players who exhausted their collegiate eligibility, 47 of Ohio State’s 91 scholarship players from 2025 are no longer with the team. Despite all of that attrition, Ohio State still has 88 scholarship players for 2026 after adding 16 players from the transfer portal and a 28-man freshman class.
The season of attrition is finally over for Ohio State as the transfer portal closed when the clock struck midnight Saturday morning. While the Buckeyes still have room to add a few more players to their roster – players who entered the portal before the midnight deadline can still sign with new teams even though the portal is closed – most of their portal work is likely now complete as they’ve addressed their most pressing needs.
That allows us to take our first real look at how Ohio State’s roster stacks up at every position for the 2026 season.
Below, we’ve compiled a position-by-position look at who’s returning, who’s new to the roster and who’s gone from last season at every position, along with some initial thoughts on what Ohio State retained, added and lost at each spot.
The list of players at each position only includes players who were on scholarship in 2025 or are expected to be on scholarship in 2026.
Quarterback (4)
Returners (2): Julian Sayin (Starter in 2025), Tavien St. Clair (No. 3 QB in 2025)
Additions (2): Justyn Martin (Transfer), Luke Fahey (Freshman)
Departures (2): Lincoln Kienholz (Transfer), Eli Brickhandler (Senior)
In an ideal world, Ohio State would have loved to retain Kienholz as its backup quarterback, but his departure to become a starter elsewhere – an opportunity he’ll get at Louisville – was always anticipated.
With Sayin returning as a Heisman Trophy finalist from last season, Ohio State’s quarterback room remains in great shape. St. Clair is likely in line to be Ohio State’s No. 2 quarterback in 2026 now that he has a year of development under his belt, while the Buckeyes added a veteran quarterback in Martin and a talented freshman in Fahey to supplement its depth.
Brickhandler still has one year of eligibility, but with four other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, it’s not anticipated that he will return in 2026 after playing no snaps and participating in Senior Day last season.
Running Back (6)
Returners (3): Bo Jackson (Starter in 2025), Isaiah West (No. 3 RB in 2025), Anthony “Turbo” Rogers (Redshirt in 2025)
Additions (3): Ja’Kobi Jackson (Transfer), Favour Akih (Freshman), Legend Bey (Freshman)
Departures (3): CJ Donaldson (Senior), James Peoples (Transfer), Sam Dixon (Transfer)
Bo Jackson returns as Ohio State’s top running back from last season while West is likely in line to be the Buckeyes’ No. 2 running back after flashing in limited action as a freshman. While they’re the only returning running backs who saw game action in 2025, Ohio State supplemented its depth behind them with the addition of Ja’Kobi Jackson, a seventh-year senior from Florida who ran for 509 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 before missing most of last season due to injury.
Retaining Peoples would have helped Ohio State’s running back depth, but his departure was unsurprising after he fell to fourth on the depth chart last season. Dixon appeared unlikely to play a significant role if he stayed at Ohio State.
Jackson, West and Rogers are all in their second year at Ohio State while Akih and Bey are both true freshmen, giving Carlos Locklyn a unit full of young players with high upside.
Wide Receiver (11)
Returners (5): Jeremiah Smith (Starter in 2025), Brandon Inniss (Starter in 2025), David Adolph (Second-String in 2025), Phillip Bell (Redshirt in 2025), De’Zie Jones (Redshirt in 2025)
Additions (6): Devin McCuin (Transfer), Kyle Parker (Transfer), Chris Henry Jr. (Freshman), Brock Boyd (Freshman), Jerquaden Guilford (Freshman), Jaeden Ricketts (Freshman)
Departures (6): Carnell Tate (NFL Draft), Mylan Graham (Transfer), Quincy Porter (Transfer), Bryson Rodgers (Transfer), Bodpegn Miller (Transfer), Damarion Witten (Transfer)
With Brian Hartline’s departure to become the head coach at USF, Ohio State was hit harder by transfer attrition at wide receiver than any other position, losing five players to the portal including its top three backups from last season (Graham, Rodgers and Porter). In turn, Ohio State did something it never did during Hartline’s tenure as wide receivers coach by bringing in two transfer wide receivers, Parker (who played for new wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton at LSU) and McCuin (a three-year starter at UTSA).
Losing a pair of five-star prospects in Porter and Graham (who both transferred to Notre Dame stings), but Ohio State still has the best wide receiver in college football with Smith back for his junior season. Inniss is also a returning starter, while Henry will contend for an immediate starting job as the No. 1 wide receiver in the 2026 recruiting class.
Coupling them with Ohio State’s two transfer additions, two redshirt freshmen and three additional true freshmen, the Buckeyes still have a well-stocked wide receiver room even with the losses of Tate and five transfers.
(Note: Adolph is listed as a returner because he still has another year of eligibility, but it’s unconfirmed whether he will be back for another season at Ohio State after participating in Senior Day festivities last season.)
Tight End (7)
Returners (4): Bennett Christian (No. 3 TE in 2025), Nate Roberts (No. 4 TE in 2025), Max LeBlanc (No Snaps in 2025), Brody Lennon (Redshirt in 2025)
Additions (3): Hunter Welcing (Transfer), Mason Williams (Transfer), Nick Lautar (Freshman)
Departures (3): Will Kacmarek (Senior), Max Klare (NFL Draft), Jelani Thurman (Transfer)
| 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 |
| SR (RS) | TE | HUNTER WELCING | ★★★ | NORTHWESTERN |
| SR (RS) | QB | JUSTYN MARTIN | ★★★★ | MARYLAND, UCLA |
| SR | DT | JAMES SMITH | ★★★★★ | ALABAMA |
| JR (RS) | DE | QUA RUSSAW | ★★★★ | ALABAMA |
| SO (RS) | K | CONNOR HAWKINS | ★★★ | BAYLOR |
| JR (RS) | CB | CAM CALHOUN | ★★★★ | ALABAMA, UTAH, MICHIGAN |
| SR (RS) | RB | JA'KOBI JACKSON | ★★★ | FLORIDA, COAHOMA CC |
| SO | CB | DOMINICK KELLY | ★★★★ | GEORGIA |
| JR (RS) | WR | KYLE PARKER | ★★★★ | LSU |
Ohio State has to replace its top two tight ends from last season in Kacmarek and Klare, with Klare leaving a year of eligibility behind to enter the NFL draft. Even so, the Buckeyes should have strong depth at tight end once again after bringing in Welcing from Northwestern and Williams from Ohio – both of them were starters at their previous schools – while Christian and Roberts return after seeing regular playing time last season.
While Ohio State surely would have liked to have Klare back for another season, none of the departures from this unit came as big surprises, and the Buckeyes did a solid job rebuilding the room by adding two veteran transfers who should be capable of leading Ohio State at tight end in 2026.
Offensive Line (15)
Returners (10): Austin Siereveld (Starting LT in 2025), Luke Montgomery (Starting LG in 2025), Carson Hinzman (Starting C in 2025), Phillip Daniels (Starting RT in 2025), Joshua Padilla (Rotational RG in 2025), Gabe VanSickle (Rotational RG in 2025), Ian Moore (No. 3 OT in 2025), Deontae Armstrong (Third-String OT in 2025), Carter Lowe (Third-String OT in 2025), Jake Cook (Third-String G in 2025)
Additions (5): Sam Greer (Freshman), Maxwell Riley (Freshman), Landry Brede (Freshman), Tucker Smith (Freshman), Mason Wilhelm (Freshman)
Departures (6): Tegra Tshabola (Transfer), Ethan Onianwa (Senior), Devontae Armstrong (Transfer), Isaiah Kema (Transfer), Jayvon McFadden (Transfer), Justin Terry (Transfer)
Tshabola was Ohio State’s only starter from last season to enter the transfer portal, but he may not have remained a starter if he returned after a roller-coaster 2025 season. Each of Ohio State’s other four starting offensive linemen from last season is back, along with its top three backups from 2025, while all of the other transfer departures were backups with no clear path to bigger roles.
Offensive line is the only position (other than punter) where the Buckeyes haven’t made any transfer additions. Despite its struggles on the offensive line in its losses to Indiana and Miami to end this past season, Ohio State is counting on its returning players to get the job done in 2026. There will still be competition up front, though, as Padilla, VanSickle and Moore will all be looking to earn their way into the starting lineup after seeing action off the bench in 2025.
Even with no transfer additions and five transfer departures, Ohio State has enough scholarship offensive linemen for a full three-deep with five incoming freshmen and only one departing senior in Onianwa.
Defensive End (8)
Returners (4): Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (Starter in 2025), Zion Grady (Second-String in 2025), Beau Atkinson (Second-String in 2025), Epi Sitanilei (Redshirt in 2025)
Additions (4): Qua Russaw (Transfer), Khary Wilder (Freshman), Dre Quinn (Freshman), Darryus McKinley (Freshman)
Departures (5): Caden Curry (Senior), C.J. Hicks (Transfer), Dominic Kirks (Transfer), Logan George (Transfer), Joshua Mickens (Transfer)
Ohio State lost four reserve defensive ends to the transfer portal, but Hicks was the only one among them who was viewed as a candidate to play a significant role in 2026. While the Buckeyes missed out on their top transfer target in former Penn State defensive end Chaz Coleman, who went to Tennessee, they still added a talented transfer edge rusher in Russaw while retaining three of their top four defensive ends from last season in Jackson, Grady and Atkinson.
There’s some uncertainty as to who Ohio State can count on to play major roles in this group in 2026 outside of Jackson, but Grady looks like a star in the making while Atkinson and Russaw are veterans with plenty of experience from their previous schools (Atkinson transferred to Ohio State from North Carolina in 2024). A redshirt freshman in Sitanilei plus a trio of true freshmen led by Wilder, a top-50 overall prospect in the 2026 class, give Ohio State a promising group of young players to round out the defensive end depth chart.
Defensive Tackle (8)
Returners (3): Eddrick Houston (Rotational Starter in 2025), Will Smith Jr. (Second-String in 2025), Jason Moore (Third-String in 2025)
Additions (5): James Smith (Transfer), John Walker (Transfer), Jamir Perez (Freshman), Emanuel Ruffin (Freshman), Damari Simeon (Freshman)
Departures (6): Kayden McDonald (NFL Draft), Tywone Malone Jr. (Senior), Jarquez Carter (Transfer), Eric Mensah (Transfer), Trajen Odom (Transfer), Maxwell Roy (Transfer)
Needing to add a couple of transfer defensive tackles to effectively replace McDonald and Malone from last season’s starting lineup, Ohio State did that by landing Smith from Alabama and Walker from UCF. Houston and Smith return from last season’s two-deep while Moore also remains at Ohio State for a fourth year as a Buckeye, giving Ohio State a strong core of five veteran defensive tackles to lead its depth chart.
Losing the entire 2025 freshman class of Carter, Odom and Roy after just one year leaves a gap at the position after the veterans, but the Buckeyes still have enough scholarship defensive tackles to fill out a four-deep with the incoming freshman class of Perez, Ruffin and Simeon.
Linebacker (9)
Returners (5): Payton Pierce (No. 3 LB in 2025), Riley Pettijohn (No. 4 LB in 2025), TJ Alford (Third-String in 2025), Garrett Stover (Third-String in 2025), Eli Lee (Redshirt in 2025)
Additions (4): Christian Alliegro (Transfer), Cincere Johnson (Freshman), Braxton Rembert (Freshman), CJ Sanna (Freshman)
Departures (3): Arvell Reese (NFL Draft), Sonny Styles (Senior), Ty Howard (Transfer)
Ohio State’s linebacker roster looks very healthy even with the departures of two projected first-round draft picks in Reese and Styles.
The addition of Alliegro from Wisconsin, paired with two up-and-coming potential stars in Pierce and Pettijohn, gives Ohio State an excellent trio to lead the position group. With three other returning linebackers in Alford, Stover and Lee, plus three incoming freshmen led by a top-50 overall prospect in Johnson, the Buckeyes have more than enough depth at a position where they usually have only two players on the field.
Ohio State suffered no notable transfer losses at linebacker as their lone outgoing transfer at the position, Howard, played zero snaps in 2025 after transferring in from Duquesne.
Cornerback (8)
Returners (4): Jermaine Mathews Jr. (Starter in 2025), Devin Sanchez (No. 3 CB in 2025), Miles Lockhart (Third-String in 2025), Jordyn Woods (Redshirt in 2025)
Additions (4): Cam Calhoun (Transfer), Dominick Kelly (Transfer), Jay Timmons (Freshman), Jordan Thomas (Freshman)
Departures (4): Davison Igbinosun (Senior), Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Senior), Aaron Scott Jr. (Transfer), Bryce West (Transfer)
| CLASS | POS | NAME | DESTINATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| JR (RS) | WR | BRYSON RODGERS | USF |
| JR (RS) | TE | JELANI THURMAN | NORTH CAROLINA |
| JR (RS) | QB | LINCOLN KIENHOLZ | LOUISVILLE |
| SO (RS) | NB | BRYCE WEST | WISCONSIN |
| SR (RS) | DE | C.J. HICKS | USF |
| SO (RS) | RB | SAM DIXON | SOUTH CAROLINA |
| SO (RS) | DE | DOMINIC KIRKS | |
| SR | DE | LOGAN GEORGE | WASHINGTON |
| SO (RS) | WR | DAMARION WITTEN | MIAMI (OHIO) |
| JR | RB | JAMES PEOPLES | PENN STATE |
| JR (RS) | K | JACKSON COURVILLE | TULANE |
| SO (RS) | P | NICK MCLARTY | ARIZONA STATE |
| SO (RS) | OL | DEVONTAE ARMSTRONG | |
| FR (RS) | OL | ISAIAH KEMA | UTAH |
| SO (RS) | CB | AARON SCOTT JR. | |
| SO (RS) | WR | MYLAN GRAHAM | NOTRE DAME |
| SR (RS) | OG | TEGRA TSHABOLA | KENTUCKY |
| SO (RS) | OT | JUSTIN TERRY | |
| SO | WR | QUINCY PORTER | NOTRE DAME |
| FR (RS) | OG | JAYVON MCFADDEN | |
| FR (RS) | DT | MAXWELL ROY | UCLA |
| SR (RS) | S | KEENAN NELSON JR. | |
| SO (RS) | DT | ERIC MENSAH | VIRGINIA TECH |
| SO | DT | JARQUEZ CARTER | MIAMI |
| JR (RS) | S | MALIK HARTFORD | UCLA |
| SR (RS) | LB | TY HOWARD | |
| FR (RS) | WR | BODPEGN MILLER | |
| SO | S | FAHEEM DELANE | LSU |
| JR (RS) | DE | JOSHUA MICKENS | |
| FR (RS) | DT | TRAJEN ODOM | |
| FR (RS) | S | CODY HADDAD |
Ohio State suffered two disappointing transfer losses at cornerback with the departures of Scott and West, who would have been in line to be the Buckeyes’ third and fourth corners behind Mathews and Sanchez, but replenished their depth by bringing in Calhoun and Kelly. Calhoun was an excellent third cornerback at Utah in 2024 before transferring to Alabama in 2025, while Kelly performed well in limited action last year at Georgia, so both of them are capable candidates to back up Mathews and Sanchez alongside Timmons and Thomas, highly touted four-star prospects in the 2026 class.
Assuming Sanchez makes the strides he’s expected to make in his second year as a Buckeye and lives up to his five-star pedigree as a first-year starter opposite Mathews, Ohio State’s cornerback unit looks strong even after losing four of its top six players from last season.
Safety (9)
Returners (3): Jaylen McClain (Starter in 2025), Leroy Roker III (Second-String in 2025), DeShawn Stewart (Redshirt in 2025)
Additions (6): Earl Little Jr. (Transfer), Terry Moore (Transfer), Blaine Bradford (Freshman), Khmari Bing (Freshman), Simeon Caldwell (Freshman), Kaden Gebhardt (Freshman)
Departures (5): Caleb Downs (NFL Draft), Faheem Delane (Transfer), Cody Haddad (Transfer), Malik Hartford (Transfer), Keenan Nelson Jr. (Transfer)
While no one can truly replace Downs, a two-time unanimous All-American, Ohio State filled the vacancy he left at safety by adding two second-team All-ACC transfers in Little and Moore, who are both expected to start alongside McClain with Moore playing free safety and Little playing nickel safety.
Ohio State’s depth at safety took a hit with the departures of Delane and Hartford, who would have been in line to be top backups, but Roker returns as a top backup from last season while Bradford, a top-75 prospect in the 2026 class, leads a talented four-man class of incoming freshman safeties. Having one more returning safety with game experience would be helpful, but the portal was still a net win for the Buckeyes at safety as Ohio State added two plug-and-play starters at the position.
Kicker (1)
Returners (0): None
Additions (1): Connor Hawkins (Transfer)
Departures (2): Jayden Fielding (Senior), Jackson Courville (Transfer)
Ohio State appears to have found the upgrade it was looking for at kicker in Hawkins, who went 18-of-22 on field goals at Baylor in 2025, including three makes on four attempts from 50-plus yards and two game-winners, highlighted by a 53-yard field goal in the final minute vs. Kansas State. The Buckeyes still need another kicker for depth, but that will likely be a walk-on addition.
Punter (1)
Returners (1): Joe McGuire (Starter in 2025)
Additions (0): None
Departures (1): Nick McLarty (Transfer)
It would be logical for Ohio State to add another punter to replace McLarty and provide competition for McGuire after the Buckeyes ranked 79th nationally in yards per punt in 2025, but there’s been no movement on that front yet. That suggests the Buckeyes will likely stick with McGuire as their starting punter for a third season while bringing in a walk-on to back him up.
Long Snapper (1)
Returners (0): None
Additions (1): Dalton Riggs (UCF)
Departures (1): John Ferlmann (Senior)
Ohio State brought in an experienced replacement for Ferlmann by signing Riggs, who was the long snapper at UCF last year and at BYU in 2023. As with kicker and punter, Ohio State still needs to add a backup long snapper – last year’s backup, walk-on Collin Johnson, is also out of eligibility – but that will likely be a walk-on addition.
