To those outside the Ohio State football program, the increase in Buckeyes entering the transfer portal this year could be seen as surprising or even alarming.
After all, the Buckeyes already have five more scholarship players in the portal this year (14) than they had all of last offseason (nine).
Most of those portal entries, however, came as no surprise to Ryan Day.
“No, not really. There was a couple in there certainly that we had long conversations about, but coming off of COVID, there was really five-plus years of scholarships on our roster,” Day said Thursday on 97.1 The Fan’s Morning Juice when asked if he was surprised by the increase in transfers this year. “You get to a point because of COVID where there’s a little bit of a logjam there. And so some of the guys who maybe found themselves third-string or maybe not seeing themselves as starters going into the next season were looking for other opportunities. And that's really the state of college football where we're at right now. Much different than in the past. And so excited those guys have an opportunity to go play in another place and get on the field.”
Among the 14 Buckeyes who have entered the portal over the last two weeks, only three of them – starting quarterback Kyle McCord, starting wide receiver Julian Fleming and No. 2 running back Chip Trayanum – played significant roles for Ohio State during the regular season. The other 11 – running back Evan Pryor, tight end Joe Royer, centers Victor Cutler Jr. and Jakob James, defensive end Omari Abor, linebacker Reid Carrico, cornerbacks Jyaire Brown and Ryan Turner, safeties Cameron Martinez and Kye Stokes and kicker Parker Lewis – were all backups who were projected to remain backups next season.
Asked specifically about McCord’s departure, Day did not answer directly about the former Ohio State quarterback, saying “this is a little bit (of) uncharted territory, I think for everybody across college football, just with the way things are set up.”
That said, Day is optimistic about Ohio State’s 2024 roster based on the combination of players the Buckeyes will have returning, the high school recruits they will sign next week and the players they could still add via the transfer portal.
“We have a really good group of guys that we feel like are coming back next year,” Day said. “Some of these guys have to make some final decisions (on the NFL draft), but I know that if some of these really talented players decide to come back and then we infuse them with the young players that are already in the program and then also guys we’re recruiting, we’ve got a chance to have a great roster next year.”
With just over one month to go until the NFL draft declaration deadline, many of Ohio State’s top draft-eligible players have yet to announce whether they will go pro or stay with the Buckeyes for another year. Wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, running back TreVeyon Henderson, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Mike Hall, cornerbacks Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock, safety Lathan Ransom and left guard Donovan Jackson are among the potential draft prospects who have yet to publicize their plans for next year.
Day seemed optimistic on Thursday that at least some of those players would be back with the Buckeyes for another season.
“There's some guys who know there's unfinished business that they feel like they don't want to move on until they get that done,” Day said. “And so there's some guys who have already gone out there and that's a great opportunity to lead and say, ‘Hey, I'm coming back, who's coming with me here? And let's go build this thing up for next year.’ So we have great guys in that locker room and so many guys understand how important it is to build the team right now. And for some, it makes sense to go ahead and move on and go to the NFL, but for others, they want to come back and keep working as Buckeyes.”
“We have a really good group of guys that we feel like are coming back next year.”– Ryan Day on Ohio State’s returning players for 2024
Day said the coaches have had many talks with players who are making decisions about their future in recent weeks and that their role in those conversations is to give them information that helps them make the best decision for themselves.
“This time of year, there's a lot of conversations for each of the players, and our job is to give them the information they need,” Day said. “Certainly there's the recruiting the high school players, there's the portal, and then there's your current roster. And in all those situations, what you're doing is you're trying to give them information. Help them understand – in particular what you're asking about (with) the NFL – is if they go to the NFL, what they can look at in terms of their draft status, where some of the feedback that we're getting, where they would be looking at? But then also, what comes with coming back for another year. Certainly the team goals and accomplishing those as a Buckeye, but then also coming back for another year may improve their draft status.
“Or for some guys, it's being more prepared once they get to the NFL. It's one thing just to get there and get drafted. It's another thing to do well once you're there, be prepared. Chris Olave is a great example of that. Here's somebody who was in the second round, came back for his fourth year, got himself into the first round, but he was prepared. And he's now playing at a high level, which allows him to be successful in the NFL, but also in great position to get a second contract, like a lot of our guys.”
As for Ohio State’s efforts to acquire talent from the portal, Day did not comment specifically on what the Buckeyes are looking to add but said they are pursuing transfers who they feel can address on their roster and that they will also do so during the post-spring transfer window.
“There's visits, sometimes there's home visits, official visits and you go from there, and just communicate, and try to make sure that they understand what the situation is at your school,” Day said. “It's something that we've slowly added to every year, it's become a little bit more year in and year out. And we'll make sure that we do a good job of filling holes that may show up here. And the other thing about the portal is it opens back up in May, too. So there is a long time before we put that (85-man scholarship roster) together this summer.”
