Ohio State has one of the highest attrition rates in college football, and as a result, many of its players end up shining elsewhere. Let's take a look at how each Ohio State transfer is performing so far this season.
Trevon Grimes, Wide Receiver, Florida
Grimes was an extremely hyped player (a high four-star) coming out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale.
Expected to be Ohio State's next great wide receiver, Grimes instead finished his Buckeye career with three catches for 20 yards. He took a leave of absence from the program in order to be with his mother, who was dealing with health issues, then transferred to the University of Florida.
So far this season, Grimes has recorded 11 catches for 129 yards and a touchdown, which came in the Gators' opening game rout against Charleston Southern.
Grimes' most well-publicized moment this season may have been his criticism of former teammate Joe Burrow.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do against our defense and if he can make those plays,” Grimes told the Orlando Sentinel. “But I’m sure he won’t be able to. I’m excited to see what they can go out there and do and come out victorious once again.”
Grimes was right, of course, as the Gators knocked off LSU 27-19 back on Oct. 6.
Alex Stump, Wide Receiver, Vanderbilt
Unlike Grimes, Stump was not a "crown jewel" of Ohio State's recruiting class when he came in. The Cleveland native spent two seasons with the Buckeyes, catching one pass for eight yards before getting passed up on the depth chart and transferring to Vanderbilt.
So far this season, Stump has not recorded any statistics for the Commodores during his redshirt junior campaign.
Rodjay Burns, Defensive Back, Louisville
The recruitment of Burns was an interesting one: he was committed to Louisville, then flipped to Ohio State, flipped again to Louisville (never officially de-committed from the Buckeyes, however), and finally back to Ohio State, where he played one season, recorded a tackle, and a pick-six.
During his redshirt sophomore campaign this season, Burns has played meaningful minutes for the Cardinals, recording 27 tackles, and one interception, which came in the Cardinals' loss to Virginia.
TURNOVER ALERT
— LouisvilleFootball (@UofLFootball) September 22, 2018
Rodjay Burns with his first career interception! pic.twitter.com/39LjOjfzEN
While that tweet is wrong, as Burns had that pick-six for the Buckeyes, it is nice to see him contributing back in his hometown.
Dylan Thompson, Defensive Tackle, Virginia
Thompson never really did big things for the Buckeyes, and was actually taken off scholarship after being ruled academically ineligible. He played in two games last season, and ended his Ohio State career with three tackles and 0.5 tackles for a loss.
Thompson, unsurprisingly, had a rocky road to start his career at Virginia. This timeline gives an excellent look at how his Cavaliers career originally unfolded.
He still has yet to play for Virginia this season. Time is running out.
Grant Schmidt, Offensive Lineman, South Dakota State
Schmidt was the first Buckeye ever from the state of South Dakota. Unfortunately, it did not work out, and Schmidt transferred from the Buckeyes after one year. He followed coach Luke Fickell to Cincinnati, where he spent one year, but did not play.
After that, he decided to head back to his home state and suit up for the FCS South Dakota State Jackrabbits.
Unfortunately, Schmidt had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago and is out for the season.
SDSU's Grant Schmidt, the former Roosevelt tackle who previously made stops at Ohio State and Cincinnati, is officially out for the year. Will have shoulder surgery. Four years in college football and still hasn't played a down.
— Matt Zimmer (@argusmattz) October 3, 2018
Kevin Feder, Offensive Lineman, Kansas
The big offensive lineman decided to transfer from the Ohio State program after injuries and simply being jumped on the depth chart led playing time to elude Feder.
It seems Feder has found a home in Lawrence, however, as he has started every game at right tackle. It is nice to see him contributing somewhere after he could not find the field in Columbus.
Wayne Davis, Defensive Back, James Madison
Davis was another Buckeye who simply didn't crack the rotation. After leaving Ohio State, Davis returned to his home state of Virginia to play for James Madison. After redshirting his first year in Columbus, Davis played just 10 snaps in his freshman season, leading him to head elsewhere.
So far this season, Davis has recorded three tackles and an interception.
INTERCEPTION! Wayne Davis sits down in the defensive backfield and picks off the third-down pass to give the Dukes the ball at the Richmond 35! pic.twitter.com/ILaMyNKsTt
— JMU Football (@JMUFootball) September 29, 2018
Antonio Williams, Running Back, North Carolina
Yet another player who headed back to their home state, Williams, the New London native, decided to play for the Tar Heels after not being able to usurp Mike Weber, and after being jumped by J.K. Dobbins.
Williams has enjoyed immense success in Chapel Hill so far this year. Up to this point, Williams has rushed 65 times for 424 yards (6.5avg), with four touchdowns. Williams' last game may have been his best, however, as he carried the ball 15 times for 116 yards and a touchdown, to earn the ACC Running Back of the Week Award.
Week 8 @ACCFootball Players of the Week:
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) October 22, 2018
Antonio Williams averaged 7.7 YPC for @TarHeelFootball vs. #Syracuse
His 116 rushing yards earned him ACC RB of the Week!
(@A_B_Williams26) #GoHeels #OriginOfFlight pic.twitter.com/tQyJxPfQqK
Kyle Trout, Offensive Lineman, Cincinnati
Following three years in the Ohio State program, Trout decided to leave Columbus in search of more playing time, and ended up following coach Luke Fickell to Cincinnati. Last season, Trout played in nine games for the Bearcats, six of which he started at left tackle.
So far this year, he has played in every game for the Bearcats, and had an interesting time at El Toro last Tuesday.
Last week, my wife and I went to Taco Tuesday at El Toro. Neither of us had ever been so, naturally, we asked how big their tacos were and the waitress responded average. I was still unsure how big that was... guess I missed that day in Spanish class.
— Kyle Trout (@Trout75) October 25, 2018
Kierre Hawkins, Tight End, Youngstown State
Hawkins never saw playing time for the Buckeyes after redshirting his first year, then simply riding the bench.
Hawkins has not recorded a statistic yet this season.
Joshua Norwood, Cornerback, West Virginia
A Georgia native, Norwood is on his third school in three years.
After redshirting at Ohio State in 2015, Norwood played in 11 games for the Buckeyes in 2016, recording eight tackles. After electing to transfer, Norwood ended up at Northwest Mississippi Community College, a JUCO school. Now he's in Morgantown, and has been playing significant minutes for the Mountaineers.
He has racked up 31 tackles, six pass deflections, and a forced fumble so far this season.
Jack Wohlabaugh, Offensive Lineman, Duke
A low-ranking member of Ohio State's class when he signed, Wohlabaugh really never had a shot to be a valuable member of the Buckeyes.
After two seasons in which he redshirted and then did not see any playing time, Wohlabaugh elected to transfer to Duke.
So far, Wohlabaugh has played in every game for the Blue Devils this season.
Matthew Burrell, Offensive Lineman, Sam Houston State
Burrell was a significant contributor for the Buckeyes during his time in Columbus. After redshirting the 2015 season, he played in all 13 games for the Buckeyes in 2016, and 12 of 14 last year.
Unfortunately, he was never able to win a starting job, and was not expected to do so this season, leading to the transfer.
Burrell has played in every game for the Bearkats so far this season on the offensive line.
Tre Avery, Cornerback, Rutgers
If the name Tre Avery does not sound familiar, it's because he was once known as Kareem Felder when he signed with Ohio State in 2016. Before arriving in Columbus, however, Felder decided to enroll at Toledo instead, where he did not see game action.
The Baltimore native then went to the Garden State, changed his name, and rode the bench for the Scarlet Knights last season.
So far this season, Avery has recored two tackles for the Scarlet Knights.
Eric Glover-Williams, Wide Receiver, Slippery Rock
Glover-Williams was an interesting case from the beginning. He started his Ohio State career entering as an "athlete," before becoming a defensive back. Then, he was moved to wide receiver. Ultimately, he was dismissed from the team due to off-field issues.
After a stint at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, he is now enrolled at Slippery Rock University, a Division-II institution.
So far this season, Glover-Williams has recorded 26 tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception.
He is also the kick/punt returner for Slippery Rock, and has made some big plays on special teams.
FB: TOUCHDOWN! Eric Glover-Williams with a 54 yard punt return. Roland Rivers walks in two plays later for his 2nd rushing TD. Rock leads 28-0, 10:46 left in 2nd quarter.
— Rock Athletics (@Rock_Athletics) September 15, 2018
Joe Burrow, Quarterback, LSU
The highest-profile player on this list, Burrow decided to transfer from Columbus after not being able to take the starting quarterback job from Dwayne Haskins.
After considering North Carolina and Cincinnati, Burrow elected to head to the quarterback graveyard also known as Baton Rouge, where he will forever be known as Joe Burreaux.
It's been an enigmatic season for Burrow. While the #4 Tigers are 7-1 heading into their clash with Alabama next week, Burrow's individual numbers have not been all that impressive.
So far, Burrow has thrown for 1,544 yards and has a 53.8% completion rate on his passes. Additionally, he has thrown just six touchdowns this season and has three interceptions. By comparison, Dwayne Haskins has 2,801 passing yards, a 71.1% completion rate, and 30 touchdowns.
As long as Burrow keeps winning, however, none of the rest matters.
