Ohio State football should be prepared for Spring transfers

The transfer portal has changed a lot in college football. For the Ohio State football program, it has helped them rapidly improve their roster for next season. They brought in several players who they think are game-changers. It’s by far the most they’ve used the portal since it became a regular thing and it’s a sign that Ryan Day is doing whatever it takes to win…finally.

On the flip side, the Buckeyes need to be prepared to have players enter the portal once the Spring arrives. They had just over a dozen players leave once the season was over. Once Spring football arrives and players can see where they fit on the depth chart, more of them will enter the portal in search of playing time.

The Ohio State football team will have a number of players leave in the Spring

Adding talent means that the players who were already there aren’t going to like their odds of getting playing time. That’s certainly true in the quarterback room. There are now five QBs in the room on scholarship. There is zero chance that the Buckeyes will come out of Spring with that many guys left in the room. Someone is leaving.

I suspect that Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz could both enter the transfer portal. I think Brown is a bigger candidate to leave than Kienholz, but neither one of them is likely to start in the future with Julian Sayin and Air Noland primed to battle it out in 2025 for the starting job. I’d be shocked if they are both still with the Buckeyes.

Bryson Rodgers already tested the transfer portal waters before returning to the Buckeyes. I wouldn’t be shocked if he decided to leave for good in the Spring. Jayden Ballard wouldn’t surprise me by leaving either. The wide receiver room is just so stacked. It’s tough to get playing time if you aren’t a stud as a freshman coming in.

There will be others who think about leaving for sure, but these are just the guys I think will be primed to leave in the Spring. We’ll see who stays and who goes from the Ohio State football program.