Ohio State added its first transfer portal player of the winter on Wednesday.
Former Minnesota offensive tackle Phillip Daniels brought some much-needed good news to a Buckeye fan base starved for positive developments regarding offensive line construction for next season as he officially signed with Ohio State.
While Daniels’ signing is a good start to portal season for the Buckeyes, it’s hardly expected to be the last move they make. Ohio State could still add players at multiple positions through the portal between now and next season, including offensive line, running back, defensive line, defensive back and kicker.
Though OSU’s overall recruiting strategy of prioritizing high school recruiting isn’t going to change, the Buckeyes are expected to be more active in the portal this season than they have been in previous years, especially considering they’ll lose a hefty amount of players either to graduation or the NFL draft.
Though many of the portal additions for 2024 were marquee players, the Buckeyes still only took seven scholarship players from the transfer portal. Ryan Day expects OSU to add more players than that from the portal to next year’s roster, which obviously will increase the percentage of how many players on his roster are transfers.
“I think every year it's become probably a higher percentage just across the country,” Day said. “For us it'll probably be the same thing this year. I think last year we ended up (with) seven or eight guys. It'll probably be higher this year. But, yeah, I think every year that number is going to go up.
“But as we've talked about before, this sustainability of a program has got to be built through high school recruiting and then development and then retention of your roster, which that's not going to change here. That being said, we know that there's some positional needs that we've got to get addressed, and we're going to work hard to make sure that we do that.”
For Daniels in particular, Ohio State was intrigued both because he was effective for Minnesota in the final four games of the 2024 season and because he has three years of eligibility remaining. In other words, he’s not just a rental player. Day likened it to adding a veteran player to an NFL roster instead of expecting too much from a rookie.
“I think when you look at it, you know, the NFL gives you a lot of great information, and when you look at the value of a rookie as opposed to somebody who's in their second contract who has shown that they can play in the NFL for multiple years at a high level, you know, the value's different,” Day said. “Well, it's similar in college. There's certain freshmen that come in that are impact players day one, and that's one thing, but for a good majority of freshmen, it's going to take a year or two for them really to reach their true value or top value and potential on the field.
“So bringing folks in who have played years already in college who have shown that they can play at a certain level, there's a value there that's different than, you know, bringing in an 18-, 19-year-old player as a freshman. So those are all things that we're all looking to calibrate as we're figuring things out moving forward.”
Ohio State offers transfer DE Logan George
While the Buckeyes’ first commitment from the transfer portal this winter was an offensive lineman, OSU is searching for talent in the defensive trenches as well.
On Monday, OSU defensive line coach Larry Johnson offered former Idaho State defensive end Logan George, who just completed his sophomore season with the FCS Bengals. The 6-foot-5, 259-pound George has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Thankful to announce that Ive received an offer from The Ohio State University. @R2X_Rushmen1 pic.twitter.com/vxLsjKhdMf
— Logan George (@Logangeorge46) December 17, 2024
Per Pro Football Focus’ grades, George recorded an overall grade of 73 for the 2024 season (an above-average grade) and was graded 71.5 in run defense and 73.4 in pass rush. He played 648 total defensive snaps. In 12 starts, George recorded 57 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
OSU reaches out to transfer RB Kanye Udoh
It’s not all that often players transfer from service academies, but former Army running back Kanye Udoh has hit the portal. And according to a post he shared on his Instagram account, Ohio State is among the teams who have contacted the standout Army running back.
Udoh ran for 1,117 yards and 10 touchdowns on 179 carries (6.2 yards per carry) this season. He just completed his sophomore year and will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
The Buckeyes would like to take a running back out of the portal this winter to lead its depth chart next season alongside James Peoples, assuming Quinshon Judkins declares for the NFL draft. OSU hosted former USC running back Quinten Joyner on a visit last week and is also hoping to get former Alabama running back Justice Haynes on campus.
