January 2nd marks the opening of a two-week transfer portal period, where the Ohio State Buckeyes are going to have to be incredibly active to make the proper improvements to this roster.
Updated 1/4/26 7:30PM
If there was one silver lining to Wednesday Night's disaster in Dallas, it's that it is now abundantly clear the changes that need to be made to this Ohio State Buckeyes' roster.Ohio State was totally bullied on both lines of scrimmage; they are going to be losing a ton of players to both graduation and the transfer portal. Here is my wish list for the Ohio State Buckeyes in the portal in their proper order.
Offensive Line
Right guard was the main area of concern all year, but against good football teams, the offensive line simply was not good enough everywhere. Luke Montgomery, Austin Siereveld, Carson Hinzman, and Phillip Daniels are eligible to come back for next season, but it is unclear if they will or not. Regardless, they have not been reaching their standard, and the Buckeyes should be trying to get as many top-tier transfers in as they can up front.
The lasting memory of this group is them getting punked by Indiana and Miami in back-to-back games that ultimately cost the Buckeyes a run at the National Championship repeat.
- Offensive Lineman Isaiah Kema enters the transfer portal.
- 1/4/25 - 5:00PM:Offensive Lineman Tegra Tshabola hitting the transfer portal.
Kicker
Simply put, find one. Unfortunately for Jayden Fielding, he cost the Buckeyes the Big Ten Championship, and then he added another missed kick to his resume when he snap-hooked his lone attempt in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
He was actually having a decent year up until the playoffs, and then he crashed and burned in the postseason. Ohio State needs to find the best kicker and bring him to Columbus.
Chaz Coleman
Coleman is an Ohio native who spent his true freshman season at Penn State before declaring to hit the portal. Coleman is the prototypical pass rusher. He stands at 6'4 and has so much room to grow into his body and fill out his build. He has all of his eligibility remaining, and bringing him in could solve Ohio State's impending pass rush issue that they will have going into fall camp next year.
- Ohio State is in a battle with two SEC School for Chaz Coleman. OSU will have to step up to the table. - Pete Nakos
Wide Receiver
Unless the Buckeyes are confident that Chris Henry Jr. can come in and make an immediate impact, I would highly, highly suggest the Buckeyes go get a veteran pass catcher. The young guys showed this year, while Carnell Tate and Jeremiah battled injury, that they were not ready for the moment. Both Mylan Graham and Bryson Rogers were largely disappointments, and Rogers has jumped into the portal.
The Buckeyes are never desperate for wide receiver talent, but if they can get a veteran piece that they can for sure pair with Jeremiah Smit,h that they should do it. Add in the element of the new wide receiver's coach, Cortez Hankto, and the Buckeyes should be shopping in the wide receiver aisle.
1/4/25 3:10PM: Mylan Graham announces that he is hitting the transfer portal.
Tight End
The Buckeyes fell in love with using the tight end position this year, and they are going to be losing all of them. Will Kacmerek is out of eligibility, Max Klare will have a decision to make, and Jelani Thurman is in the portal. Ohio State would be smart to try and get a tight end, but it is not a necessity.
- 1/4/25 12:45PM: The Buckeyes hosted Ohio University tight end Mason Williams on 1/3. The tight end is 6’5, 258 pounds. He hauled in 26 catches, 276 yards and 3 touchdowns. He would be a replacement for Will Kacmarek.
- 1/4/25 3:00 PM: Buckeyes LAND commitment of Mason Williams from Ohio.
Outside of the defensive line, the Ohio State defense is going to be in pretty good shape. They'll lose both of their linebackers, but the young guys in Payton Pierce and Riley Pettijohn will confidently fill in. The secondary should be able to reload at both corners and safety with guys that are already in the program.
It wouldn't hurt to take a couple of flyers on the defensive side of the ball, but there are no necessities on that side of the ball.
This story will be updated as updates come through throughout the weekend, and then feature stories will be written on each new addition to the Buckeyes roster.
Make BuckeyeRoundtable your hub for all of the Buckeyes' action in the transfer portal. Two huge weeks for the immediate future of this program.