Ohio State's transfer portal splash on Monday would not have been the approach that I would have taken.
The Ohio State Buckeyes made a splash on Monday night with the signings of the two Alabama defensive linemen, James Smith and Qua Russaw. Together, the two were high school teammates, they were a part of Nick Saban's final recruiting class, and they were solid pieces early for the Tide.
This season was a downward trajectory for Russaw while Smith maxed out his value for Alabama. Russaw was injured early in the season in the second half of the football game against the Georgia Bulldogs. He missed several weeks, and when he came back, he had lost his starting position, and the writing was on the wall.
Smith was a solid player for the Crimson Tide this year as he finished with 28 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Those numbers are good for a defensive tackle. He is not quite to the production that the Buckeyes are loving with the departure of Kayden McDonald, but is more in line with Tywone Malone's output.
So that makes 11 player who have transferred in for Ohio State.
- Tight End - Hunter Welcing
- Safety - Earl Little Jr.
- Defensive Line - James Smith
- Edge - Qua Russaw
- Safety - Terry Moore
- Wide Receiver - Devin McCuin
- Tight End - Mason Willliams
- Quarterback - Justyn Martin
- Linebacker - Christian Alliegro
- Defensive Tackle - John Walker
- Long Snapper - Dalton Riggs
Of those 11 new Buckeyes, only four of them are on the offensive side of the football, with one of those players being a quarterback who will likely never see the field.
If things stay status quo, has the Buckeyes plan all along been to run the offense back as is in 2026?
If so, that couldn't be more of a disaster in philosophy.
Everyone watching the 2025 Ohio State team knows that the defense was not the issue; it was squarely on the offense. In Ohio State's two losses, the defense held the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes to 30 points combined. They held the Hoosiers to 13 points and the Hurricanes to 17 (seven points came off of a pick 6).
Sure, the Buckeyes had pieces to fill on defense after a couple of departures, but what are we doing? Ohio State's line of scrimmage was bullied in their two losses, and they lost their second-best player in wide receiver Carnell Tate.
They'd better be convinced that they have the solutions internally to pick Ohio State up to be a national championship contender because they haven't done anything to address their real problems.