Redshirt freshman wide receiver L'Christian "Blue" Smith is transferring from the Ohio State football program, according to multiple reports.
Bucknuts' Dave Biddle reported Friday that Smith is still enrolled at Ohio State, but plans to leave the school to pursue other opportunities at the end of the semester.
Lettermen Row also confirmed that Smith is leaving the program, though an Ohio State spokesperson said he could not confirm Smith's departure at this time.
A four-star recruit from Huber Heights, Ohio, Smith was a two-sport star at Wayne High School and had previously considered pursuing basketball at the collegiate level.
Leading up to his commitment to Ohio State, there had been some speculation as to whether the 220-pounder would best be utilized as a wide receiver or tight end, but he practiced exclusively at wide receiver last season. He was one of four pass-catchers in the Buckeyes' recruiting class of 2018 along with Chris Olave, Kamryn Babb and Jaelen Gill.
Smith appeared in three games as a true freshman last year, but was one of 12 scholarship wide receivers on the roster for 2019, and did not have a clear path to the field this year. Austin Mack, Binjimen Victor, K.J. Hill and Olave are expected to lead the Buckeyes' receiver depth chart this season, while Jaylen Harris, Garrett Wilson, Gill and Babb are among the most likely candidates to join them in the rotation.
The Buckeyes also already have commitments from a pair of wide receivers for the 2020 recruiting class, Gee Scott Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and are still pursuing three receivers ranked among the top five wide receivers in the class of 2020: Julian Fleming, Rakim Jarrett and Marcus Rosemy.
