Not even a month after securing the National Championship, Ryan Day’s work to be the second Ohio State coach to win multiple titles is already off and rolling. In the midst of rounding out the offensive coaching staff, the Buckeyes added 21 early enrollees and half of a dozen transfers to the Spring roster. With 40 seniors and graduate students off on their next adventure – well over a dozen are expected to be drafted into the NFL in April – the Buckeyes have some big shoes to fill.
The Spring Game is set to kick off on April 13 after a few weeks of Spring practice. Day has already said that this year’s Spring practice will start a little later than in years past to give the returning players a little rest after the 16-game season.
With so many new faces heading to Columbus, there will be a few players who jump into the transfer portal for greener pastures. After the winter portal closed up, the Buckeyes lost 14, led by a pair of quarterbacks.
Ohio State Adds to Spring Roster
Gone Portalin’
As normal in the Day era, Ohio State went quality-over-quantity in the transfer portal and only brought in six from the winter window. The two transfers with the best shot to have an impact early are tackles, Philip Daniels and Ethan Onianwa. Daniels is transferring in from Minnesota and is actually from Cincinnati. As a redshirt freshman, Daniels played in all 12 games for the Golden Gophers and allowed just one sack on 159 pass-blocking snaps. He has three years of eligibility remaining for the Buckeyes. Onianwa, on the other hand, will be playing out his final season of eligibility in Columbus. The Rice transfer surrendered just one sack off 350 pass-blocking snaps last season and had a 79.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
The Buckeyes added two more offensive playmakers, CJ Donaldson and Max Klare. Donaldson, a running back, is coming over from West Virginia and will provide a veteran presence to an incredibly young running back room. With the Mountaineers, he ran the ball 421 times for 2,058 yards and a whopping 30 touchdowns. His nearly five-yards-per-carry average will certainly make James Peoples‘ job (or one of the talented freshmen) much easier. Klare is coming over from Purdue after three seasons. Last year, he led the Boilermakers in receiving with 685 yards and four touchdowns off 51 receptions.
FCS-To-FBS Jumpers
Defensively, Logan George and Ty Howard will be making the jump from the FCS. Last year, George started all 12 games for the Idaho State Bengals and amassed 57 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, and six-and-a-half sacks. He will likely fight for time in the defensive end rotation with Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Howard is coming from Duquesne, is the older brother of incoming freshman, Bo Jackson and not related to the former Ohio State corner with the same name who ended up a third-round NFL Draft pick. In nine games last season, the All-NEC linebacker amassed 52 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks, three interceptions, four pass breakups, and he recovered a fumble.
Freshman Offensive Playmakers
All but two of the Buckeyes’ Early National Signing Day haul on offense is set to enroll early and join the team this Spring. Led by the fourth-best overall player in the country, Ohio State’s track record of bagging elite offensive talent continues:
- Tavien St. Clair, Five-Star Quarterback
- Quincy Porter, Five-Star Wide Receiver
- Carter Lowe, Four-Star Offensive Line
- Bo Jackson, Four-Star Running Back
- Bodpegn Miller, Four-Star Wide Receiver
- Nate Roberts, Four-Star Tight End
- De’Zie Jones, Four-Star Wide Receiver
- Phillip Bell, Four-Star Wide Receiver
- Isaiah West, Three-Star Running Back
- Jake Cook, Three-Star Offensive Line
- Jayvon McFadden, Three-Star Offensive Line
St. Clair has been locked in ever since the Buckeyes offered in May of 2023. He will join a quarterback room that is looking to replace a starter. Even as a five-star talent and every bit worth the hype, he faces an uphill road to get on the field.
All four of Brian Hartline’s receivers will be on campus. With the top two receiver spots locked down, these four will battle it out with a handful of other four and five-star recruits to make an immediate impact.
Overall, it would be impressive if more than one of this group gets on the field for significant playing time. However, they have a great opportunity to develop and take over in 2026.
Silver Bullets Reloaded
The fifth-best overall recruit headlines the defensive side of the ball. Only three signees will not be enrolling early, giving this group a leg up in the competition with nine starters off to the NFL:
- Devin Sanchez, Five-Star Cornerback
- Faheem Delane, Four-Star Safety
- Riley Pettijohn, Four-Star Linebacker
- Zion Grady, Four-Star Defensive Line
- TJ Alford, Four-Star Linebacker
- Jarquez Carter, Three-Star Defensive Line
- DeShawn Stewart, Three-Star Safety
- Trajen Odom, Three-Star Defensive Line
- Cody Haddad, Three-Star Safety
- Eli Lee, Three-Star Linebacker
Sanchez has been billed as the defensive Jeremiah Smith insofar as he is too talented to keep off the field. Time will tell but with one outside corner and one slot corner opening, he will have to unseat last year’s duo of five-star players to get on the field.
Pettijohn, Alford, and Grady each have a shot to get on the field this year as well with so much turnover. Grady will have a tougher time due to the sheer amount of talent in the room but the linebackers might be able to contribute this season.
With so much change on defense, both in the lineup and in coaching, anything is possible. With a strong Spring, the Buckeyes’ defense will look much younger than anticipated.
Main Photo: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
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