{"id":84697,"date":"2026-01-29T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T14:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=84697"},"modified":"2026-01-28T17:10:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T22:10:56","slug":"2026-ohio-state-transfer-portal-round-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/01\/29\/2026-ohio-state-transfer-portal-round-up\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Ohio State Transfer Portal Round-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Well, the two-week transfer portal window has closed. Ohio State went into the window the same as it did after the 2023 Cotton Bowl loss. For 2026, it needed a few key pieces. Now, while the portal is closed, players currently in the portal can commit; new players cannot enter it (we will see if that holds). The Buckeyes ended up losing quite a bit, but were able to replace them.<\/p>\n<h2>2026 Ohio State Transfer Portal Round-Up<\/h2>\n<h3>Departures<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>QB Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville)<\/li>\n<li>RB James Peoples (Penn State)<\/li>\n<li>RB Sam Williams-Dixon (South Carolina)<\/li>\n<li>WR Mylan Graham (Notre Dame)<\/li>\n<li>WR Quincy Porter (Notre Dame)<\/li>\n<li>WR Bryson Rodgers (USF)<\/li>\n<li>WR Damarion Witten (Miami (OH))<\/li>\n<li>WR Bodpegn Miller (Washington)<\/li>\n<li>TE Jelani Thurman (North Carolina)<\/li>\n<li>OL Devontae Armstrong (Miami (OH))<\/li>\n<li>OL Isaiah Kema (Utah)<\/li>\n<li>OL Tegra Tshabola (Kentucky)<\/li>\n<li>OL Justin Terry (Virginia Tech)<\/li>\n<li>OL Jayvon McFadden (Colorado)<\/li>\n<li>DT Maxwell Roy (UCLA)<\/li>\n<li>DT Eric Mensah (Virginia Tech)<\/li>\n<li>DT Jarquez Carter (Miami (FL))<\/li>\n<li>DT Trajen Odom (Arkansas)<\/li>\n<li>DE Logan George (Washington)<\/li>\n<li>DE Dominic Kirks (Northwestern)<\/li>\n<li>DE Joshua Mickens (UCONN)<\/li>\n<li>DE\/LB C.J. Hicks (USF)<\/li>\n<li>LB Ty Howard (TBD)<\/li>\n<li>CB Bryce West (Wisconsin)<\/li>\n<li>CB Aaron Scott Jr. (Oregon)<\/li>\n<li>SAF Keenan Nelson Jr. (TBD)<\/li>\n<li>SAF Malik Hartford (UCLA)<\/li>\n<li>SAF Faheem Delane (LSU)<\/li>\n<li>SAF Cody Hadaad (Iowa)<\/li>\n<li>K Jackson Courville (Tulane)<\/li>\n<li>P Nick McLarty (Arizona State)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span>Transfers on the Schedule<\/span><\/h3>\n<div><span>Barring the decisions of Nelson and Howard, the Buckeyes will have to face off against three outgoing transfers from this year&#8217;s portal, one from last year&#8217;s portal, and one from the 2024 portal. In total, only one of the outgoing Ohio State transfers was already a starter or regular player (Tshabola). Of course, players like Hicks, Scott, West, Delane, Courville, Carter, Porter, and Graham are expected to contribute next year.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Those five former Buckeyes on the schedule are Hadaad (Iowa), Scott (Oregon), Kirks (Northwestern), Kanu (Texas), and Nigel Glover (Northwestern). This year&#8217;s schedule is a bit tougher for the Buckeyes. These former Buckeyes are certainly going to try to make it as hard as possible.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><span>Most surprisingly, only three former Buckeyes (two from this year, one from last year) will be joining Brian Hartline at USF: Rodgers, Hicks, and Air Noland.<\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Arrivals<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>QB <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/justyn-martin-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Justyn Martin<\/a> (Maryland)<\/li>\n<li>RB <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/jakobi-jackson-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ja&#8217;Kobi Jackson<\/a> (Florida)<\/li>\n<li>WR <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/devin-mccuin-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Devin McCuin<\/a> (UTSA)<\/li>\n<li>WR <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=kyle-parker-2,kyle-parker-1&amp;search=Kyle+Parker&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kyle Parker<\/a> (LSU)<\/li>\n<li>TE <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/mason-williams-3.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mason Williams<\/a> (Ohio)<\/li>\n<li>TE <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/hunter-welcing-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hunter Welcing<\/a> (Northwestern)<\/li>\n<li>OT <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=vasean+washington&amp;rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1107US1107&amp;oq=vasean+washington&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqEAgAEAAYgwEY4wIYsQMYgAQyEAgAEAAYgwEY4wIYsQMYgAQyDQgBEC4YgwEYsQMYgAQyBwgCEAAYgATSAQgyNzcyajBqN6gCALACAA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vasean Washington<\/a> (Dartmouth)<\/li>\n<li>DT <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/john-walker-9.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Walker<\/a> (UCF)<\/li>\n<li>DT <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/james-smith-9.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Smith<\/a> (Alabama)<\/li>\n<li>DE <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/qua-russaw-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Qua Russaw<\/a> (Alabama)<\/li>\n<li>LB <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/christian-alliegro-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Christian Alliegro<\/a> (Wisconsin)<\/li>\n<li>CB <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/dominick-kelly-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dominick Kelly<\/a> (Georgia)<\/li>\n<li>CB <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/cameron-calhoun-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cameron Calhoun<\/a> (Alabama)<\/li>\n<li>SAF <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/earl-little-2.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Earl Little<\/a> Jr. (Florida State)<\/li>\n<li>SAF <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/terry-moore-3.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Terry Moore<\/a> (Duke)<\/li>\n<li>LS <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/dalton-riggs-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dalton Riggs<\/a> (UCF)<\/li>\n<li>K <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/connor-hawkins-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor Hawkins<\/a> (Baylor)<\/li>\n<li>P <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/brady-young-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brady Young<\/a> (Houston Christian)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Immediate Help<\/h3>\n<p>There are a handful of new Buckeyes who will be able to step in right away and contribute. McCuin and Parker could be interesting additions to the receiver room behind <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/jeremiah-smith-2.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeremiah Smith<\/a> and <a  target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/brandon-inniss-1.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-01-28_cfb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Inniss<\/a>. The intriguing additions are on the defensive side of the ball. Walker and Smith will likely factor into the rotation on the interior with Eddrick Houston. Both safety transfers are expected to step in and have roles right away, with Moore playing safety while Little will be the nickel corner\/third safety.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the biggest additions (according to Buckeye fans) are the two special teams players. Kicker and punter have been weaknesses for the Buckeyes in the Ryan Day era. Hawkins comes to Columbus after a solid redshirt freshman campaign in 2025, where he made all 37 extra point attempts and was 18 of 22 on field goals. He made three of his four attempts from beyond 50 and has a career-long of 54 yards.<\/p>\n<div><span>This is by far the largest portal haul for Ohio State. The mentality is still quality over quantity, but when you lose 31 to the portal and another handful to graduation\/the NFL, you&#8217;re going to need a substantial influx of talent. <\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/01\/20\/ohio-state-turns-to-2026\/\" target=\"_self\">Ohio State&#8217;s 2026 recruiting class<\/a><\/span><span> is large, but how many of those players will be counted upon right away? Adding veteran transfers helps the Buckeyes win now and prepare for the future.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Main Photo: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This year&#8217;s Ohio State transfer portal haul was larger than in year&#8217;s past, but the mentality of quality over quantity remained.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":56467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[35609,5,2,17],"tags":[35436,33087,4787,33233,32672,33635,35922,35923,10203,32757,34501,3348,8479],"class_list":["post-84697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ohio-state-buckeyes","category-bigten","category-featured","category-news","tag-aaron-scott-jr","tag-air-noland","tag-brian-hartline","tag-bryce-west","tag-c-j-hicks","tag-faheem-delane","tag-james-peoples-mylan-graham","tag-jarquez-carter","tag-lincoln-kienholz","tag-malik-hartford","tag-quincy-porter","tag-ryan-day","tag-tegra-tshabola"],"modified_by":"Kate Pearson Halyburton, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4051"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84697"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85308,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84697\/revisions\/85308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}