Ohio State and Ryan Day have been very clear about prioritizing NIL efforts to retain current players. They believe that it’s one of the most important aspects of roster building and culture. With that in mind, I wanted to take a closer look at the draft-eligible players on the roster and start a discussion about their likelihood of returning, which players are most critical to bring back, and any other thoughts on the situation.

Here’s a breakdown of the draft-eligible players who still have eligibility remaining:

Offense:

    •    LT/G Donovan Jackson

    •    G/C Carson Hinzman

    •    RG Tegra Tshabola

    •    TE Will Kacmarek (already announced he’s returning)

    •    RB Quinshon Judkins

Defense:

    •    DE Caden Curry

    •    DE Kenyatta Jackson

    •    LB Sonny Styles

    •    CB Davison Igbinosun

It’s safe to say that all of these players would be welcomed back with open arms. My take:

    •    Will Kacmarek has already announced he’s returning, which is great news.

    •    Carson Hinzman and Tegra Tshabola are also pretty safe bets to return for another year.

    •    Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson seem unlikely to declare for the draft at this point. If anything, a transfer portal move feels more plausible, but even that seems like a stretch.

    •    Donovan Jackson, on the other hand, seems like a lock to enter the draft given his performance and projected draft stock.

As for the others:

    •    Sonny Styles, Davison Igbinosun, and Quinshon Judkins are the most “on the fence,” in my opinion. These are players the staff should prioritize retaining through NIL support, given their talent and the lack of clear-cut depth behind them at their positions. Am I wrong about Donovan Jackson? I also probably should have added Josh Simmons, but he already declared so felt like it was fine to omit him. 

Am I missing anyone? What’s your take—who do you think is most likely to return, and who should Ohio State focus on keeping?