Much has been made of Ohio State’s transfer portal activity to this point. Now that the portal is closed, the Buckeyes can focus on rounding out the haul, filling out the coaching ranks, and getting to Spring practice. On Thursday, there was a flurry of moves with three more former SEC players making their way north to Columbus, plus another on Friday. It’s so nice of the SEC to serve as Ohio State’s minor league (this was a joke, please don’t freak out).
As a result, the Buckeyes checked a couple of boxes and strengthened two areas that needed depth.
Ohio State Gets More Portal Help From The SEC
Four Schools in Four Years
On November 26, 2022, Cam Calhoun was a four-star recruit out of Winton Woods High School in Cincinnati. He was on the field as Michigan secured its first win at Ohio Stadium in 22 years. He committed to the Wolverines while he stood on the field, watching the Maize and Blue celebrate. Now, three seasons later, he’s a Buckeye.
Calhoun took the long way around to get to Ohio State. As a freshman, Calhoun only appeared in two games for the 2023 Wolverines. Then, he jumped into the portal and landed at Utah. With the Utes, he logged 21 total tackles, one tackle for loss, nine pass breakups, and an interception. He parlayed that into another portal trip, this time landing at Alabama. With the Tide, Calhoun appeared in all 14 games last year, but only managed seven tackles, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery.
The last Alabama defensive back to transfer to Ohio State turned out okay. Calhoun is not Caleb Downs, but he should provide some solid depth for the Buckeyes in an area that needs it. He was a lockdown corner at Utah, but never cracked the starting lineup with Alabama, so he will be looking to get back to that level with Ohio State.
Another One
Just as someone named DJ Khalid once said, the Buckeyes got another cornerback from the SEC. This time, it was in the form of Georgia’s Dominick Kelly.
Prior to Georgia, Kelly was initially in the 2026 recruiting cycle before reclassifying. He committed to USC before flipping to Georgia. He was a four-star recruit for the Dawgs and brings three years of eligibility to Ohio State.
In his lone season in Athens, Kelly totalled three tackles and three pass breakups. If Pro Football Focus is your thing, he played 61 snaps on defense, was targeted seven times, and allowed three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
While Jermaine Mathews is returning to Ohio State for his senior season, the Buckeyes are losing Aaron Scott, Bryce West, Davison Igbinosun, and Lorenzo Styles Jr. The cornerback room has talent, it’s just unproven talent to this point. Devin Sanchez (sophomore and former five-star recruit) and Mathews are expected to be the first two corners on the field, with Florida State transfer Earl Little Jr. stepping into the third safety/nickel corner role vacated by Styles. Last year, four corners played over 100 snaps (and one was just behind with 90).
Even if the incoming freshmen and existing depth are solid, the Buckeyes desperately need depth at the position. These two transfers take care of that, with Kelly having a legitimate shot to challenge for a spot in the two-deep depth chart.
A Seventh-Year Back
Ohio State lost a trio of running backs and will get a few in recruiting, but behind Bo Jackson, there is Isaiah West and a whole lot of question marks. Ja’Kobi Jackson brings with him plenty of experience and veteran leadership from Florida to help guide the Buckeyes’ young running back room.
Jackson actually started his career as a member of the 2020 recruiting class at Coahoma Community College, where he played for three seasons. There, he amassed 1,390 yards and 14 touchdowns. He then transferred to Florida, where he redshirted his first season with the Gators in 2023. He broke out in 2024 with 509 yards and seven touchdowns on 95 rushes as Florida’s RB2. This past season, he managed only 98 yards on 27 carries, his season cut short by an upper-body injury.
Barring something insane, Jackson should not be expected to be the lead back for the Buckeyes. Even then, there will likely be a role for him. He could be an “innings eater,” to pull from baseball. Essentially, he could be the one the Buckeyes turn to to carry the ball when the game is in hand, without risking injury to the depth or burning a redshirt. As of now, the redshirt rule is still four games, so that strategy could change by the time Week 1 rolls around.
The Hankton Connection
There was more than a little smoke regarding LSU’s Kyle Parker, who will be a redshirt junior this fall. Parker was a protégé of Cortez Hankton, the Buckeyes’ new wide receivers coach. After redshirting in 2023, Parker appeared in another four games in 2024 when he hauled in three passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. Last year, he was the Tigers’ fifth-leading receiver with 330 yards and four touchdowns on 31 receptions. Parker is an uber-athletic receiver who also ran track in high school. He has impressive game-breaking speed, but he just did not have many opportunities to showcase it at LSU.
On Friday, Parker committed to the Buckeyes, giving Ohio State a second transfer portal receiver, two more than the program had ever taken in all of the years of the portal. He was a four-star recruit of the 2023 class. The Buckeyes lost a handful of receivers to the portal, so at the very least, Hankton has improved the depth with two players who have actually shown an ability to play at the college level.
Who’s Next?
The Buckeyes have had success in the past by pulling from the SEC via the portal. While the portal is closing to entrants, those still in limbo can still find a new home. So, who else could the Buckeyes bring in?
Another area the Buckeyes could look to bolster is the defensive end room. Kenyatta Jackson Jr. is coming back, but the Buckeyes lost Caden Curry, C.J. Hicks, Logan George, Dominick Kirks, and Joshua Mickens. Ohio State did add Qua Russaw, but if Larry Johnson can land a talent like Damon Wilson from Missouri, it would be a massive get. He is an uber-productive EDGE and could be a day-one impact player, but therein lies the whole countersuit against Georgia over NIL funds thing. The Buckeyes were in on him out of high school, so they likely kicked the tires.
An EDGE out there who is not as polarizing is Princewill Umanmielen. If the Buckeyes can nab a player of his caliber, it would completely revolutionize the pass-rush. Last year, he amassed 13 tackles for loss, nine sacks, a pass breakup, and an interception. Of course, Ohio State would have to make sure Umanmielen isn’t following his former head coach to LSU.
Main Photo: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch