Transfer tracker: Breaking down Buckeyes moves, philosophy in transfer portal
COLUMBUS — Ohio State shifted its transfer portal philosophy a bit last season.
After rarely ever dipping into the portal prior to last offseason, the Buckeyes went in and grabbed a few starters, a few depth pieces and a couple of future contributors from the portal. They also lost multiple players to the portal.
Expect to see a similar strategy this time around, as well. The Buckeyes will pick their spots, but they’ll be aggressive when they need to be in the portal during the coming few weeks when the transfer portal opens.
So while Ohio State is keeping its eye out for potential difference-makers that are also fits in the program, Lettermen Row and On3 will have you covered with every piece of news while the portal is open.
This story will be updated with transfer portal offers from Ohio State, the list of Buckeyes players in the portal, thoughts from Ryan Day and more.
To track all of the action in the portal for teams across college football, you can click the links below.
On3 Transfer Portal Homepage
The Transfer Portal Wire
The Transfer Portal News Feed
Ohio State players in the Transfer PortalBelow is a running list of Ohio State players in the Transfer Portal:
Defensive end Omari Abor : Ohio State landed Abor out of Duncanville High School as part of its loaded 2022 recruiting class. Abor was the No. 79 overall player, the No. 12 defensive end and the No. 15-ranked prospect in the Lonestar State in his class. He was part of a defensive line class that included Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson on the edge Hero Kanu on the interior of the defensive line. But after an injury setback in his first season, Abor had trouble catching up to the others ahead of him on the depth chart. Now he will be entering the transfer portal to find his next collegiate stop, and he’ll have three years to make an impact wherever he lands.
READ: Buckeyes defensive end Omari Abor plans to enter transfer portal
Ohio State Transfer Portal Additions
Check back when Ohio State lands a commitment from the transfer portal.
Ohio State Transfer Portal Offers
Below is a running list of offers the Buckeyes have handed out in the Transfer Portal:
Middle Tennessee defensive tackle Marley Cook: The 6-foot-2, 298-pound defensive lineman from Middle Tennessee has been with the Blue Raiders since 2019. He is originally from Water Valley, Mississippi, choosing to head north to Middle Tennessee. He was named honorable mention All-Conference USA in 2022 and was even better this year as a redshirt junior. Cook had 22 total tackles, six tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble this season. He played his best game when he had three tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in the season opener against Alabama. With 27 career starts, he has a year of eligibility remaining.
The Transfer Portal Windows
The NCAA Transfer Portal’s newest rules will allow 45 days per year for student-athletes to enter the portal and maintain immediate eligibility for first-time transfers. For fall sports like football, the window will be split into two periods. The first, a 30-day period, begins Dec. 4. It will close on Jan. 2.
A second window will be instituted from April 16-30, giving players an option to enter the transfer portal after spring practice concludes.
Transfer Portal GuidelinesThe NCAA transfer portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.
Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.
The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.
A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.
