Eleven of Ohio State’s best players have decisions to make on their future with one month to go until the deadline for players to enter the 2024 NFL draft.
With a loaded junior class full of players who have become major contributors for the Buckeyes over the past three seasons, Ohio State has as many potential 2024 draft picks as any team in college football, yet all of those juniors have left the door open so far for staying in Columbus for their senior years. How many of them return will go a long way toward determining whether Ohio State will have a championship-caliber roster next season and which positions the Buckeyes need to address via the transfer portal.
Based upon what several of those players and Ryan Day have said this week, there’s a growing sense that a significant number of those players are leaning toward coming back for another season in scarlet and gray.
“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 Thursday on 97.1 The Fan. “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.”
Ohio State already knows it will lose at least 19 players from this year’s team. Fourteen Buckeyes have entered the transfer portal since the end of the regular season. Right guard Matt Jones, safety Josh Proctor, wide receiver/running back Xavier Johnson and quarterback Tristan Gebbia will all be out of eligibility after the Cotton Bowl while running back Miyan Williams is the one Buckeye who has already declared for the 2024 NFL draft.
Although none of them have formally announced their departures as of yet, it’s expected that Ohio State will also lose linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers and tight end Cade Stover. Each of them has indicated they will move on rather than return for a sixth year of eligibility, with Eichenberg also accepting an invitation to the Senior Bowl.
Among upperclassmen with realistic hopes of being drafted after this season, linebacker Cody Simon is the only one who has confirmed he will return to Ohio State. Each of the following 11 players would project as likely draft choices if they choose to go pro, but the door remains open for all of them to return as of now, and each of their respective decisions will have major ramifications on Ohio State’s depth chart next season.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
There’s no one on this list that Ohio State would love to have back for another year more than Harrison, but he’s also by far the least likely on this list to return. As a projected top-three overall pick, Harrison’s NFL draft entry would already be a foregone conclusion if he himself hadn’t said last week that he was still weighing the possibility of staying at Ohio State for one more shot at beating Michigan and winning a Big Ten championship.
“Coming into this year, I wanted to beat the team up north and win a Big Ten championship and obviously I did not do that this year. So I think there's a great motive to come back if that's what I decide to do,” Harrison said. “That's something I definitely want to do in my Ohio State career and not having done that yet definitely opens the door for me to come back. But I’m undecided. Really just taking it day by day at this time.”
That said, sources have indicated to Eleven Warriors that Ohio State does not expect Harrison to return for another year. From a draft stock perspective, Harrison has nothing to gain by staying – he’s widely projected to be the first non-quarterback drafted – so while Harrison does seem genuinely conflicted about leaving, it would be a stunner if Harrison stays in college.
WR Emeka Egbuka
Egbuka seemed like a lock to enter the draft alongside Harrison entering the 2023 season, but Egbuka’s junior year at Ohio State hasn’t gone according to plan. After catching 74 passes for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022, Egbuka has only 35 receptions for 452 yards and four touchdowns after suffering a midseason ankle injury that sidelined him from three games and prevented him from performing up to his full potential.
As such, Egbuka is no longer a sure-fire first-round pick, and that could give Egbuka real incentive to return. His situation could be compared to that of Chris Olave, who was seen as a fringe first-round pick after his junior season at Ohio State but ended up becoming the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft after returning for his senior year.
Egbuka said this week that he is “totally undecided” on his future after the Cotton Bowl, which he has committed to play in, but there is optimism inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center that Egbuka could stick around for another season, which would provide a tremendous boost of experience and proven playmaking ability to what will be an otherwise young receiving corps next season.
CB Denzel Burke
Outside of Harrison, Burke might be the most obvious candidate to enter the 2024 NFL draft among Ohio State’s juniors. He established himself as an early-round prospect with his dominance in coverage this season, and he’s already been a three-year starter for the Buckeyes.
Burke said this week that he has gotten “a lot of good” feedback about his NFL draft stock, but like Harrison, he’s conflicted about leaving Ohio State without beating Michigan and winning a Big Ten or national championship.
Unlike Harrison, Burke isn’t considered to be a first-round lock, so he does have the upside to improve his draft stock if he stays at Ohio State for a fourth season. But he still has another chance to improve his draft stock this season when he plays against Luther Burden and a talented Missouri receiving corps in the Cotton Bowl, and he says he won’t decide whether he’s entering the draft until after that game, which he has committed to playing in.
Ohio State would have the luxury of returning both of its starting cornerbacks if Burke stays for another year as Davison Igbinosun is not yet draft-eligible. But the Buckeyes should be well-stocked at cornerback even if Burke goes pro as Jermaine Mathews Jr. has looked ready to be a starter when he’s had to fill in for Burke this season.
RB TreVeyon Henderson
While there have been rumblings that Henderson is leaning toward staying at Ohio State for his senior season, Henderson disputed the notion that he has made any decision on Wednesday, when he tweeted that he has “never announced nor made a decision on what my next steps would be.”
After battling injuries for each of the last two seasons, Henderson could have incentive to play another year for the Buckeyes. If he can perform the way he did down the stretch of this year’s regular season for a full season in 2024, Henderson has the potential to be a first-round pick.
But Henderson would likely already be a second-round pick if he enters the draft this year, and he plays the position that has the shortest shelf life of any position in the NFL. Given that he’s already dealt with several injuries in his collegiate career, it could be prudent for Henderson to begin his NFL career now to maximize his number of potential professional seasons.
Having already lost Williams to the NFL draft and Chip Trayanum and Evan Pryor to the transfer portal, Ohio State is surely hoping Henderson will choose to stay to lead next year’s backfield. If not, Dallan Hayden will be Ohio State’s only returning scholarship running back, leaving the Buckeyes with a clear need for a transfer addition.
DE JT Tuimoloau
Some NFL draft analysts see Tuimoloau as Ohio State’s second-best draft-eligible prospect, and he’ll be in the conversation to be a first-round pick if he chooses to go pro. But with only four sacks for the second year in a row, Tuimoloau hasn’t quite maximized his potential draft stock yet, considering he was projected as a potential top-10 pick entering the season.
Tuimoloau wasn’t among the players who met with the media this week, so there’s been no real indication of where he’s at in his decision process or whether he’ll even play in the Cotton Bowl. That said, Ohio State’s decision to cancel a scheduled official visit with former UTSA pass-rusher Trey Moore this weekend suggests the Buckeyes are expecting to have at least one of their draft-eligible defensive ends back.
Tuimoloau has always been seen as the more likely of Ohio State’s junior defensive ends to go pro after this season, but the Buckeyes would surely welcome him back to be a leader of their defense once again next year.
DE Jack Sawyer
While Sawyer isn’t likely to be a first-round pick if he enters the NFL draft after this season, he is widely projected to be a Day 2 draft choice, giving him a real decision to make as well as the end of his junior year approaches.
Sawyer became increasingly disruptive as this year’s regular season progressed, particularly in Ohio State’s final home game of the season against Minnesota, boosting his draft stock in the process. But his play down the stretch also showed that Sawyer could still have first-round potential if he stays at Ohio State and can create havoc on a more consistent basis all season.
A Central Ohio native for whom playing for the Buckeyes carries special meaning, Sawyer suggested this week that he was close to making a decision but not ready to announce one publicly yet.
“I think a lot of us are trying to navigate that right now, and I think a lot of us are really close to making a decision and announcing it,” Sawyer said. So I think here in the next couple of weeks, you'll see a lot of guys decisions on what the future holds.”
DT Tyleik Williams
No player on this list did more to boost his draft stock this season than Williams, who went from occasionally making big plays in his first two seasons as a Buckeye to a frequently disruptive force on Ohio State’s interior defensive line as a junior. That improvement made Williams a likely early-round draft pick if he declares, giving him more reason to consider leaving early than he might have had before the year began.
Ohio State has been courting defensive tackles in the portal, suggesting that it is bracing for the possibility for losing at least one of its top defensive tackles after this season, but Williams said this week he won’t make his decision until after the Cotton Bowl. He gave little indication of which way he might be leaning, saying he still has to talk to his family and coaches and that he wants to see how many of his teammates decide to stay before making his own decision.
DT Mike Hall
While Williams exceeded expectations this season, Hall didn’t quite live up to them, potentially giving him more reason to consider staying than he would have had before the year began. While Hall’s NFL talent is clear with his quickness and ability to disrupt plays, he didn’t have the monster year he was expected to have that could have made him a first-round pick.
After recording 7.5 tackles for loss in Ohio State’s first six games of 2022, Hall has recorded only two tackles for loss in the past season-and-a-half. His talent still gives him a chance to go in the early rounds if he declares, but another season with more consistent production in terms of game-changing plays could improve his chances.
Hall was not among the players who met with the media this week, so it remains unclear whether he will play in the Cotton Bowl if he opts to enter the NFL draft.
LG Donovan Jackson
Like Hall, Jackson entered this season with the potential to cement his standing as an early-round draft pick but didn’t consistently play up to that level. He acknowledged this week that “there are times where I believe I didn't do as well as I thought I did,” which could give him reason to stay at Ohio State and develop for another year.
Jackson said he has not made any decision on his future yet, but he’d likely be a middle-round selection if he enters the 2024 NFL draft. It’s also been rare for Ohio State offensive linemen to go pro after just three years, though Jackson has two years of starting experience like Paris Johnson Jr. and Luke Wypler both did when they entered the draft after last season.
If Jackson stays, Ohio State would be in line to return four starters from this year’s offensive line, barring a surprise departure from Josh Simmons or Josh Fryar. The Buckeyes have reason to consider making changes on their offensive line after struggling up front this year, but they’d certainly welcome Jackson back to be a leader for the front five next season.
CB Jordan Hancock
Hancock wasn’t a serious threat to leave early until the second half of the regular season, when he became Ohio State’s starting nickelback and emerged as one of Ohio State’s top defensive playmakers. By impressing in slot coverage while also showing plenty of ability as a run defender, Hancock demonstrated a versatile skill set that will give him NFL appeal, and he left Ohio State fans wondering about his future when he said “Last one in the shoe” in a tweet following the Buckeyes’ final home game of the season.
Last one in the shoe. Had to https://t.co/1fQKxGUAF7
— Jordan Hancock (@jordanhancock_) November 19, 2023
Like many of his recruiting classmates, Hancock said this week that he has not yet decided on his future. While Hancock could theoretically benefit from another year at Ohio State as a full-season starter, Hancock said he feels as though he’s gotten enough experience; what could bring him back to the Buckeyes, he said, is his desire to leave a bigger legacy at Ohio State than he and his fellow juniors have been able to so far.
Hancock hasn’t shown up in many NFL mock drafts yet, so he certainly could improve his draft stock by staying at Ohio State for his senior year. Ohio State is hoping he does, as it will have a big hole to fill at nickel if he leaves; his return would also give the Buckeyes another option at outside cornerback if Burke leaves.
S Lathan Ransom
The only non-junior on this list, Ransom could be planning to move on after walking on Senior Day. That doesn’t bind a player into leaving, though – Simon also walked on Senior Day before deciding to return – and Ransom has not yet publicly commented on his plans for next year.
While the expectation for most of the year was that this would be Ransom’s final season at Ohio State, he missed the final month of the regular season with a foot injury and it remains unclear when he will be available to return to action. Should that injury affect his ability to participate in pre-draft workouts, Ransom would have more reason to consider using his extra year of eligibility to play a fifth season with the Buckeyes, as he might need to perform well in pre-draft testing to ensure he’ll be selected.
Another year with Ransom would be a nice boost of stability and experience for Ohio State at safety, where the Buckeyes will already be replacing one starter with Proctor’s departure. Ohio State would return only three safeties who have played defensive snaps this year if Ransom leaves (Sonny Styles, Malik Hartford and Ja’Had Carter), but the Buckeyes appear to be bracing for that possibility as they are set to host UCLA safety Kamari Ramsey on an official visit this weekend.
