Tag: Ohio State Buckeyes

RUMOR: Ohio State offers former Michigan State defensive lineman

RUMOR: Ohio State offers former Michigan State D-Lineman #GoBucks

Ohio State handled the departure section of the transfer portal relatively unscathed with only five players leaving that were predicted to see significant action this season. But now comes the fun part. With these openings, Ohio State has some wiggle room as far as brining in potential contributors from the transfer portal and one strong rumor circulating surrounds a Big Ten opponent.

Michigan State interior defensive lineman, Derrick Harmon, has entered the transfer portal and rumor has it, there is mutual interest in him becoming a potential Buckeye. The Spartans have seen their fair share of guys enter the portal, as is expected when you see a coaching change, but Harmon was a key piece to this defense.

Harmon finished last season with 40 tackles with 3.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. Now Ohio State fans shouldn’t look at him as a savior of any kind, but he would provide some intriguing depth and experience to an already stacked unit.

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Ohio State football offers 2026 Running Back

Ohio State offers 2026 Running Back #GoBucks

The recruiting hustle never stops and Ohio State football is looking to add some running back help in the class of 2026 in Jonaz Walton. Walton is rated as a four-star prospect by 247 Sports and hails from the state of Georgia. Widely considered a top ten running back in the class, he already checks many of the boxes needed to be a future college football star.

Walton stands at 5-feet 10-inches and 205 pounds with obvious room to grow considering he has two seasons of high school football remaining. Through his sophomore season, he has already accumulated over 3,300 rushing yards and 42 touchdowns.

We have seen Ohio State make some noise in the state of Georgia recently and it would not be surprising to see Ohio State add a future star in Walton.

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Ohio State basketball re-offers 4-star 2025 Kentucky power forward

The Buckeyes are still pursuing the 4-star power forward. #GoBucks

It has been an offseason of roster management for new Ohio State basketball head coach Jake Diebler.

While he showed enough on the court for the Buckeye athletic department to take off the interim tag and make him the full-time coach, its been a quick turnaround from the season ending to the transfer window and recruiting.

We have seen plenty of player movement, with a few starters and backups leaving, while welcoming in some high-level transfers. As for recruiting, so far so good, as Diebler has already gotten a verbal from the top 2026 Ohioan, point guard Marcus Johnson.

The work is not done, especially in the 2025 class that doesn’t currently have any commitments. The Buckeyes re-offered Kentucky power forward, [autotag]EJ Walker[/autotag], on Wednesday, confirming their interest despite the coaching change.

At 6-foot, 8-inches and 230-pounds, Walker is one of the best players in the country, ranking as the No. 142 overall prospect and 28th at his position. Hopefully, this gesture gives the Buckeyes some momentum in his recruitment.

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Ohio State football offers transfer portal return specialist

The Buckeyes are looking for a special teams boost. #GoBucks

The drought for Ohio State football special teams returning any change of possession has become alarming.

The last time the Buckeyes returned a kickoff for a score was in 2010 and a punt was in 2014. It seems absurd to think that a team that has had so many talented players come through its doors would have such an issue, but here we are.

It seems like Ohio State still might not feel comfortable with who it has as a returner, which is why a preferred walk-on offer went out to Presbyterian College transfer, [autotag]Shawn Lodge[/autotag]. The Ohio native showed during his freshman season that he has the ability to be a threat as a return man.

We all know that Buckeye offensive coordinator Brian Hartline doesn’t take receiver transfers, so the offer to Lodge is all about what he can do on special teams.

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Ohio State basketball Big Ten opponents announced

Which of these games are you the most excited about? #GoBucks

While we all take a collective breath in-between the end of basketball season and what seems like years before the start of another football season, the Big Ten dropped some news Wednesday dealing with the basketball team’s conference opponents for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.

The conference decided to stay with a 20 game conference schedule, even with the inclusion of the new West Coast members, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, so it’ll mean less home-and-home matchups this year.

In fact, Ohio State will only face three schools twice during the regular season. Only Indiana, Maryland, and Nebraska will be a part of a return trip for all involved.

In addition to that, the Buckeyes will welcome Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Oregon, Rutgers and Washington to the Schott, and will travel to play on the road only to Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Penn State, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin.

All of these games will result in the standings that determine the 15-team only conference tournament, meaning three teams will be left out. As more information comes out on the Ohio State basketball schedule, we’ll have it for you.

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Ohio State football offers 2026 elite North Carolina quarterback

The Buckeyes offered the elite 2026 NC quarterback

The high-level recruiting of quarterbacks for Ohio State football doesn’t look like it is going to stop anytime soon.

The list of highly regarded prospects to be Buckeyes is long, especially over the past few years. Two were “signed” in the 2024 class, Air Noland and Julian Sayin (transfer from Alabama) and in the 2025 class its the potential No. 1 overall player Tavien St. Clair.

Since the current class already has its quarterback, it allows the Ohio State coaching staff to look towards the 2026 cycle. With that said, an offer went out to North Carolina’s Faizon Brandon on Tuesday evening, the latest power program to offer the elite talent.

Ohio State joined Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Michigan and others in offering the nations No. 4 quarterback and 53rd overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

Brandon recently took part in the Elite 11 Atlanta regional and performed well considering many of the campers were a grade ahead of him. It was more than enough to warrant an Ohio State offer and it looks like he will highly consider the Buckeyes.

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Could a former UCLA offensive lineman join Chip Kelly at Ohio State?

A potential Buckeye transfer offensive line target has emerged

The transfer portal spring window is coming to a close, and there has been a furry of action with Ohio State football keeping a watchful eye on who is looking to move.

One of those players is now former UCLA starting offensive tackle, [autotag]Bruno Fina[/autotag], who made the announcement of his transfer on Tuesday. He started on the left side last year for now Buckeye offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, and could be a potential fit.

Ohio State has been looking for a portal addition on the offensive line, and Fina’s familiarity with Kelly’s offense should at least make him a target for the Buckeyes.

Time will tell if Ohio State does ultimately go after Fina, but the connection with Kelly is there and could lure the tackle to join him in Columbus.

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Ohio State linebacker Nigel Glover enters the transfer portal

Nigel Glover enters the transfer portal #GoBucks

It did not take very long for Nigel Glover to enter his name back into the transfer portal after only spending one year on the Ohio State roster. This will be the second time that Glover has entered his name in the portal as he was originally committed to play for the Northwestern Wildcats before their off-season issues arose, which resulted in a few players — including Glover — entering their name in.

This transfer is a bit of a surprise as Glover enrolled later at Ohio State than  many of his classmates and even took a redshirt for the Buckeyes last season. This transfer all stings a bit more than most, because Glover is a home state kid from Dayton, Ohio.

The former four-star linebacker didn’t give Ohio State much of a chance, but regardless we wish him good luck at his next stop.

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Ohio State football loses offensive lineman Enokk Vimahi to the transfer portal

The Buckeyes lose some depth on the offensive line

Ohio State football hasn’t really been hit with major transfer defections during the second portal window, but it did lose an offensive lineman on Tuesday.

[autotag]Enook Vimahi[/autotag] will enter the transfer portal as a graduate but with two-years remaining, is looking for his first taste of meaningful playing time at this level. During his five seasons with the Buckeyes, the Hawaiian played in a handful of games, but never really was a factor.

His performance against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl left much to be desired, as it showed that he clearly wasn’t ready to contribute even though he has spent multiple years in the program.

We wish Vimahi the best as he looks for his next football destination.

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The Athletic’s early 2025 mock sends CB to Jaguars in first round

The Athletic’s early 2025 mock sends a cornerback to the Jaguars in the first round

While the Jaguars selected two cornerbacks throughout the 2024 NFL draft, addressing one of their biggest positional needs by bringing in a duo of defensive backs with varying skill sets in Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince, the question of whether Jacksonville invested enough into the spot this offseason persists.

In addition to spending third and fifth-round picks on cornerbacks, Jacksonville signed veteran Ronald Darby to a two-year contract in free agency.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believes the Jaguars need more long-term help on the boundary. In his first “early” 2025 NFL mock draft, Brugler slotted Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke to Jacksonville with the No. 15 overall selection.

The draft order was generated based on current Super Bowl LIX odds from an undisclosed oddsmaker.

“Burke turned down a likely spot in the top 50 of the 2024 class for one more year in Columbus. He can read and drive in the quick game or turn and stay attached to receivers vertically.” — Dane Brugler, The Athletic

The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Burke has recorded 95 tackles with six for loss, two interceptions, 27 passes defended and one forced fumble over 35 appearances with Ohio State, all of which he’s started, dating back to Week 1 of his freshman campaign.

According to Pro Football Focus, Burke has allowed 78 receptions over 151 career targets in coverage, generating a 51.7% catch rate.

Brugler’s long-term assessment of Jacksonville’s cornerback room is valid as Darby and fellow starting corner, Tyson Campbell, are not currently set to be under contract with the Jaguars beyond the 2024 campaign.

Campbell, Jacksonville’s second-round pick in 2021, became eligible for a contract extension this offseason. He’s produced 203 tackles with six for loss, six interceptions, 30 passes defended and two forced fumbles in 43 games, including 42 starts.

Darby, who signed with Jacksonville in March after nine seasons with five different teams, has tallied 401 tackles with nine for loss, eight interceptions, 97 pass breakups and one forced fumble over 105 career games and 95 starts.

Find the Jaguars’ 2024 draft class in full below.

Editor’s note; This story has been updated as cornerback Ronald Darby signed a two-year contract with Jacksonville in March, not one year as originally written. Jaguars Wire regrets this error.