24 Names to Know in the Transfer Portal As Ohio State Looks to Improve Its 2025 Roster

Approximately 2,000 players have already entered the portal since it officially opened on Monday. And while the Buckeyes are preparing to play a first-round College Football Playoff game against Tennessee in just one week, Ohio State can’t afford to wait on recruiting potential transfer additions as some of the top players in the portal have already found new homes or started narrowing down their lists of schools.

With that in mind, Ohio State has already welcomed two transfer visitors to campus – former USC running back Quinten Joyner and Northwestern offensive lineman Josh Thompson – and are scheduled to host another Big Ten transfer, former Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman. Several other coveted transfers have also been linked to the Buckeyes as players who are drawing interest from Ohio State and/or could make visits to Columbus.

We’ve rounded up a list of 24 of the most notable players in the portal so far as it pertains to Ohio State, starting with players who have already made or confirmed visits to Ohio State. The second group includes players who have been linked to the Buckeyes either by confirming interest from Ohio State or through media reports indicating that Ohio State is targeting them, while the third group includes players who have not yet emerged as clear targets for the Buckeyes but could be worth monitoring as potential fits.

Confirmed Visitors

Northwestern OL Josh Thompson

Offensive line is the biggest need Ohio State must address in the transfer portal, and the first portal entrant to make his way to Columbus for an official visit was Thompson, who arrived at OSU for his visit on Friday. The Northwestern transfer, who will be a fifth-year senior in 2025, projects as a potential plug-and-play upgrade at guard, though he would bring versatility as he was Northwestern’s starting right tackle in 2023.

Ohio State faces plenty of competition for Thompson as he has also made visits to Michigan State and Auburn and is scheduled to visit Michigan, South Carolina and Tennessee. But it’s clear the Buckeyes would love to add Thompson to their 2025 offensive line and with good reason, as Pro Football Focus graded him as tied for the 12th-best offensive lineman in the Big Ten this season with an overall grade of 74.9; he allowed zero sacks and just six total pressures in pass protection.

USC RB Quinten Joyner

Joyner made his way to Ohio State this week as one of the Buckeyes’ first two transfer visitors alongside Thompson. Like Thompson and Thieneman, Joyner brings the bonafides of having already proven he can be a productive player in the Big Ten, having rushed for 478 yards and three touchdowns on just 63 carries this season.

Texas is also viewed as a contender to land Joyner, who grew up just outside of Austin in Manor, Texas. He’d fill a need for the Buckeyes if they can beat out the home-state school, though, as OSU could potentially have to replace its top two running backs next season if Quinshon Judkins enters the 2025 NFL draft.

Purdue S Dillon Thieneman

(Update: Thieneman committed to Oregon on Saturday before making a visit to Ohio State.)

Safety isn’t as pressing of a transfer need for Ohio State as some other positions, but Thieneman – much like Caleb Downs a year ago – is the kind of player who’s worth pursuing anyway. The top-ranked safety currently in the portal, Thieneman has already been an established star in the Big Ten for two years, recording 210 tackles with six interceptions, 6.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and seven pass breakups over the past two seasons at Purdue.

Thieneman’s brother told On3 on Tuesday that the former Purdue safety would make a visit to Ohio State within the next week. Oregon is also scheduled to host Thieneman, setting up a potential battle between Big Ten rivals for the standout safety, but landing him would be a huge boon for the Buckeyes’ 2025 defense as he and Downs would form the top safety tandem in college football entering next season.

Reported Interest

Alabama RB Justice Haynes

Haynes’ transfer recruitment remains in its very early stages as he just entered the portal on Friday afternoon, but he was immediately connected to Ohio State as Bama247’s Brett Greenberg said the Buckeyes came up “in a few different conversations” about potential landing spots for the outgoing Alabama running back. On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Ohio State is “significantly interested” in Haynes and that both Ohio State and Michigan are schools to watch in his recruitment.

There’s good reason to believe the Buckeyes will be a major contender to land him, as they were one of the runners-up in his high school recruitment and he has been close friends with Caleb Downs – who transferred to Ohio State from Alabama last year – since they were high schoolers in Georgia. Haynes, who had 448 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on just 79 carries for the Crimson Tide this season, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 1 running back on the transfer market.

Nevada OT Isaiah World

247Sports ranks World as the top offensive tackle currently in the portal, making him a player who should be very high on Ohio State’s list of priority targets. It sounds like he is, as 247Sports’ Bill Kurelic has reported that the Buckeyes and World have mutual interest and that Ohio State believes it has a good chance to land him.

With three years of starting experience at Nevada including two years at left tackle, World could be exactly what Ohio State needs to fill one of its starting tackle jobs for next season. A massive man who lives up to his last name at 6-foot-8 and 309 pounds, World received a pass-blocking grade of 82.2 from Pro Football Focus this season – the 17th-best mark among FBS offensive tackles who started regularly – as he allowed zero sacks with only 13 total quarterback pressures in 13 games.

Central Connecticut State OT Rahtrel Perry

Another massive offensive tackle who has drawn significant interest from Power 4 schools since entering the transfer portal, Perry would be less of a sure-thing addition as he makes the jump from the FCS level, but offers intriguing upside at 6-foot-7 and 323 pounds.

Perry, who started all 13 games at left tackle for Central Connecticut State this past season, told Eleven Warriors that Ohio State has expressed interest in him and that he is working on setting up a visit with the Buckeyes.

Nebraska DE James Williams

Ohio State needs to add depth at defensive end, and Williams – nicknamed “Sack Man” – could fit the bill as he comes off a productive redshirt sophomore season in which he recorded five sacks with 28 total quarterback pressures, per PFF. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound edge rusher told 247Sports’ Chris Hummer this week that he’s planning to visit Ohio State along with Florida State, Texas A&M and Michigan State.

FSU looks like the team to beat for Williams after hiring his former defensive coordinator at Nebraska, Tony White, as its new defensive coordinator. That could force Ohio State to pursue other defensive end options, but Williams is the only pass-rusher who’s emerged as a clear-cut target for the Buckeyes so far.

Virginia Tech CB Mansoor Delane

If Delane’s last name sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the older brother of incoming Ohio State freshman safety Faheem Delane. That gives both Ohio State and Delane additional reason to be interested in each other, and 247Sports reported this week that there is mutual interest between the elder Delane and the Buckeyes.

Lets work https://t.co/SH71UyjIME

— Mansoor Delane (@mansoordelane) December 4, 2024

Ohio State doesn’t necessarily need to add a starting cornerback through the transfer portal – at least as long as Davison Igbinosun stays for his senior season – but Delane has a skill set worth considering as he earned third-team All-ACC honors this season after recording 54 tackles, four interceptions and seven pass breakups for Virginia Tech. He’s drawing interest from many other top programs too, though, telling 247Sports on Friday that he has visits scheduled with LSU, Oregon and Alabama.

Georgia CB Julian Humphrey

(Update: Humphrey committed to Texas A&M on Sunday.)

Humphrey told On3’s Hayes Fawcett earlier this week that Ohio State was one of 23 schools that had contacted him after he entered the portal. Like Delane, Humphrey has drawn interest from many of the top programs in college football, including Alabama, Colorado, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Ole Miss, Oregon, Texas and USC, among others.

A 10-game starter for Georgia this season, Humphrey allowed 14 catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns on 25 targets, per PFF. He’d have to compete for playing time with the likes of Jermaine Mathews Jr., Aaron Scott Jr. and Devin Sanchez if he became a Buckeye, but he was recruited by Ohio State in high school and would provide a nice boost of experience for a cornerback unit that’s set to lose Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock after this season.

Other Names to Know

Virginia Tech OT Xavier Chaplin

(Update: Chaplin signed with Auburn on Sunday.)

Ranked by On3 as the top offensive tackle in the transfer portal, Chaplin would fit the bill as a potential offensive tackle upgrade for Ohio State. The 6-foot-7, 323-pound left tackle with two remaining seasons of eligibility has already been a starter for two years at Virginia Tech and was an All-ACC honorable mention this season after allowing just two sacks in 12 starts, but it’s unclear whether Ohio State will be a factor in his transfer recruitment.

Georgia Tech OT Corey Robinson II

Another All-ACC honorable mention left tackle, Robinson was graded by Pro Football Focus as the third-best pass-blocking tackle in all of college football this season as he allowed zero sacks with just five pressures in 11 games. Robinson will reportedly visit Oklahoma next week.

Bowling Green OT Alex Wollschlaeger

(Update: Wollschlaeger signed with Kentucky on Monday.)

A first-team All-MAC selection this season with three years of starting experience at right tackle, Wollschlaeger has reported offers from 15 Power 4 schools since entering the transfer portal, though Ohio State is not yet on that list.

Liberty G Jordan White

Should the Buckeyes look to expand their transfer guard board beyond Thompson, the top-ranked guard currently available in the portal per 247Sports is White, who earned first-team all-conference honors at Liberty this season. White, who began his college career at West Virginia and has one more year of eligibility, was ranked by PFF as the third-best run-blocking guard in the FBS last season. 

Virginia Tech C Braelin Moore

The second-highest-ranked uncommitted interior offensive lineman in the portal, Moore was a two-year starter at Virginia Tech, manning the center position in 2024 and the left guard position in 2023.

Texas A&M G Kam Dewberry and TJ Shanahan

Ohio State was in the mix for both Dewberry and Shanahan during their initial recruitments as four-star prospects out of high school. Neither has been a consistent starter for Texas A&M yet, but the same traits that made them highly coveted recruits as prep prospects could make them options worth considering to compete for jobs on the interior offensive line.

Eastern Michigan K Jesús Gómez

(Update: Gómez committed to Arizona State on Sunday.)

Outside of the offensive line, Ohio State’s most pressing need for a starting-caliber player is arguably at kicker after Jayden Fielding missed two field goals inside of 40 yards against Michigan, costing the Buckeyes dearly in their 13-10 loss. Gómez, who made 46 of 58 field goal attempts including six of 11 attempts from 50-plus yards in three seasons at Eastern Michigan, has been connected to Ohio State as a potential upgrade.

It doesn’t appear Ohio State is making a major push for Gómez as of now, however, as he told Eleven Warriors on Friday that he had only been contacted by Ohio State once.

Wisconsin DL James Thompson Jr.

With a lack of clear targets along the defensive line so far, Thompson is one player who would make sense as a potential addition to Ohio State’s rotation in the defensive trenches. The 6-foot-5, 295-pound Cincinnati native has experienced playing both inside and outside and recorded 12 tackles for loss between the 2022 and 2023 seasons before missing the 2024 season due to injury. He’s announced more than a dozen offers since entering the portal and has visited scheduled with Illinois, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma LB Dasan McCullough

McCullough’s name will be familiar to those who follow Ohio State recruiting closely as he was once committed to Ohio State before flipping to Indiana, where his father was the running backs coach at the time. He’s spent the last two years at Oklahoma and has flashed in limited action while lining up all over the field in Oklahoma’s “cheetah” position. He’d be an intriguing candidate to play the Jack position if Ohio State chooses to reintegrate that into the defense in 2025.

Georgia LB Troy Bowles and DE Sam M’Pemba

Bowles and M’Pemba were both coveted by Ohio State when they were top prospects in the recruiting class of 2023, but both played only sparingly in two years at Georgia. While they lack proven production, both of them have three more years of eligibility, which would make them interesting potential options to add depth to the defense in 2025 and potentially develop into starters. 

Arizona CB Tacario Davis

Given that Ohio State has shown interest in a couple of transfer cornerbacks, we’d be remiss not to mention Davis, a second-team all-conference honoree in each of his last two seasons at Arizona and the top-ranked cornerback in the portal. He’d project as an immediate replacement for Burke as OSU’s No. 1 cornerback if the Buckeyes were to get involved, though there’s no known connection between them yet.

Texas Tech WR Micah Hudson

(Update: Hudson committed to Texas A&M on Sunday.)

Brian Hartline has never added a scholarship transfer to his unit and probably doesn’t need to change that this year, but there was some speculation that Ohio State would pursue Hudson when he entered the portal. A five-star recruit just one year ago who was targeted by the Buckeyes out of high school, Hudson would be a strong addition to any wide receiver depth chart, but Texas A&M is viewed as the favorite to land him.

Purdue TE Max Klare

There’s been no indication yet that Ohio State plans to pursue a transfer tight end either, but Klare would be one worth considering after he caught 51 passes for 685 yards and four touchdowns for Purdue last season. Klare, who visited Texas on Thursday, is likely to end up at one marquee program or another.