On Sunday, Ohio State was informed—though not surprisingly—that it had missed the College Football Playoffs.
The transfer portal opened on Monday, so the Buckeyes staff doesn’t have time to reflect on how their 11-1 regular season ended.
Here are the things we know, what we may anticipate, and potential outcomes regarding the Buckeyes during this active player transfer month.
Quarterback Kyle McCord has already declared his intention to use the portal: Perhaps the most important story of the first day was this one.
This season, McCord started every game for Ohio State and completed 3,170 yards of passing with 24 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Right now, Ohio State needs a starting quarterback.
• Running back Evan Pryor: Pryor has faced his fair share of hardship while attending Ohio State.
A bright career has been hampered by injuries, and now he finds himself in the portal after being buried on an overloaded Ohio State depth chart.
Among all running backs, he has played the fewest snaps this season—just thirty.
• Wide receiver Julian Fleming: Fleming was the top pick in the 2020 class when he arrived at Ohio State, but he struggled with injuries all through his career.
Despite amassing 963 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons, he never had the effect that many had anticipated.
His remaining eligibility is one year. Although losing a former five-star prospect is never ideal, Ohio State has a ton of young talent at wide receiver and has done a fantastic job at recruiting in that regard.
• Vic Cutler, offensive lineman: the backup center, transferred from Louisiana-Monroe to Ohio State during the previous offseason. Three of the 24 snaps he played were on special teams.
The offensive lineman Jakob James: Though not a well-known brand, its loss is significant. Having Cutler in the portal as well, Ohio State lacks a backup center. James was supposed to fight for the starting position over the offseason, but he didn’t become healthy until fall camp, when he was defeated by freshman Carson Hinzman. This season, James has played 70 snaps, 64 of which were on special teams.
• Omari Abor, defensive lineman: Despite only playing 30 snaps in six games this season, Abor was ranked among the top 100 prospects in the 2022 class.
Reid Carrico, a defensive back: Carrico, a previous top-100 talent, struggled to fit into Jim Knowles’ two-linebacker scheme. This season, he has taken 79 snaps.
• Cam Martinez, safety: In 2023, Martinez served as a backup safety. Throughout the course of four games, he played just 28 snaps and struggled to give up huge plays.
