Javontae Jean-Baptiste is looking to finish his college football career outside of Columbus.
Fresh off a career-best campaign in a Buckeye uniform, the fifth-year Ohio State senior defensive end entered the transfer portal Monday.
After entering the program as a four-star recruit out of Oradell, New Jersey, in 2018, Jean-Baptiste worked his way up the ranks to have the most productive season of his career in 2022. The 6-foot-5, 249-pound lineman posted career-high numbers with 19 total tackles, four sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Jean-Baptiste was even credited with a half sack in the second half of Saturday's College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Georgia.
Jean-Baptiste had 51 total tackles, eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss in the past four seasons after redshirting his true freshman year in 2018.
Jean-Baptiste's sack total was second among all Buckeye defensive ends and third overall on the team this season, but he only received the fourth-most snaps among OSU DEs in the regular season (240) as five-star talents Zach Harrison, J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer all got more playing time.
With both Tuimoloau and Sawyer still only being true juniors by the start of the 2023 season, Jean-Baptiste may find himself a bigger role in a different program for his final year of college eligibility.
