\n More than half of Ohio State\u2019s roster of scholarship players will be different in 2026 than it was in 2025. <\/p>\n
\n\tMore than half of Ohio State\u2019s roster of scholarship players will be different in 2026 than it was in 2025.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIncluding 31 transfer portal departures, five early NFL draft entries and 11 players who exhausted their collegiate eligibility, 47 of Ohio State\u2019s 91 scholarship players from 2025 are no longer with the team. Despite all of that attrition, Ohio State still has 88 scholarship players for 2026<\/a> after adding 16 players from the transfer portal and a 28-man freshman class.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe season of attrition is finally over for Ohio State as the transfer portal closed when the clock struck midnight Saturday morning. While the Buckeyes still have room to add a few more players to their roster \u2013 players who entered the portal before the midnight deadline can still sign with new teams even though the portal is closed \u2013 most of their portal work is likely now complete as they\u2019ve addressed their most pressing needs.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat allows us to take our first real look at how Ohio State\u2019s roster stacks up at every position for the 2026 season.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBelow, we\u2019ve compiled a position-by-position look at who\u2019s returning, who\u2019s new to the roster and who\u2019s gone from last season at every position, along with some initial thoughts on what Ohio State retained, added and lost at each spot.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe list of players at each position only includes players who were on scholarship in 2025 or are expected to be on scholarship in 2026.\n<\/p>\n \tQuarterback (4)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (2): Julian Sayin (Starter in 2025), Tavien St. Clair (No. 3 QB in 2025)<\/p>\n Additions (2): Justyn Martin (Transfer), Luke Fahey (Freshman)<\/p>\n Departures (2): Lincoln Kienholz (Transfer), Eli Brickhandler (Senior)\n<\/p>\n \n\tIn an ideal world, Ohio State would have loved to retain Kienholz as its backup quarterback, but his departure to become a starter elsewhere \u2013 an opportunity he\u2019ll get at Louisville<\/a> \u2013 was always anticipated.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tWith Sayin returning as a Heisman Trophy finalist from last season, Ohio State\u2019s quarterback room remains in great shape. St. Clair is likely in line to be Ohio State\u2019s No. 2 quarterback in 2026 now that he has a year of development under his belt, while the Buckeyes added a veteran quarterback in Martin and a talented freshman in Fahey to supplement its depth.\n<\/p>\n \n\tBrickhandler still has one year of eligibility, but with four other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, it\u2019s not anticipated that he will return in 2026 after playing no snaps and participating in Senior Day last season.\n<\/p>\n \tRunning Back (6)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (3): Bo Jackson (Starter in 2025), Isaiah West (No. 3 RB in 2025), Anthony \u201cTurbo\u201d Rogers (Redshirt in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (3): Ja\u2019Kobi Jackson (Transfer), Favour Akih (Freshman), Legend Bey (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (3): CJ Donaldson (Senior), James Peoples (Transfer), Sam Dixon (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tBo Jackson returns as Ohio State\u2019s top running back from last season while West is likely in line to be the Buckeyes\u2019 No. 2 running back after flashing in limited action as a freshman. While they\u2019re the only returning running backs who saw game action in 2025, Ohio State supplemented its depth behind them with the addition of Ja\u2019Kobi Jackson<\/a>, a seventh-year senior from Florida who ran for 509 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 before missing most of last season due to injury.\n<\/p>\n \n\tRetaining Peoples would have helped Ohio State\u2019s running back depth, but his departure was unsurprising after he fell to fourth on the depth chart last season. Dixon appeared unlikely to play a significant role if he stayed at Ohio State.\n<\/p>\n \n\tJackson, West and Rogers are all in their second year at Ohio State while Akih and Bey are both true freshmen, giving Carlos Locklyn a unit full of young players with high upside.\n<\/p>\n \tWide Receiver (11)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (5): Jeremiah Smith (Starter in 2025), Brandon Inniss (Starter in 2025), David Adolph (Second-String in 2025), Phillip Bell (Redshirt in 2025), De\u2019Zie Jones (Redshirt in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (6): Devin McCuin (Transfer), Kyle Parker (Transfer), Chris Henry Jr. (Freshman), Brock Boyd (Freshman), Jerquaden Guilford (Freshman), Jaeden Ricketts (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (6): Carnell Tate (NFL Draft), Mylan Graham (Transfer), Quincy Porter (Transfer), Bryson Rodgers (Transfer), Bodpegn Miller (Transfer), Damarion Witten (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tWith Brian Hartline\u2019s departure to become the head coach at USF, Ohio State was hit harder by transfer attrition at wide receiver than any other position, losing five players to the portal including its top three backups from last season (Graham, Rodgers and Porter). In turn, Ohio State did something it never did during Hartline\u2019s tenure as wide receivers coach by bringing in two transfer wide receivers, Parker<\/a> (who played for new wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton at LSU) and McCuin<\/a> (a three-year starter at UTSA).\n<\/p>\n \n\tLosing a pair of five-star prospects in Porter and Graham (who both transferred to Notre Dame stings), but Ohio State still has the best wide receiver in college football with Smith back for his junior season. Inniss is also a returning starter, while Henry will contend for an immediate starting job as the No. 1 wide receiver<\/a> in the 2026 recruiting class.\n<\/p>\n \n\tCoupling them with Ohio State\u2019s two transfer additions, two redshirt freshmen and three additional true freshmen, the Buckeyes still have a well-stocked wide receiver room even with the losses of Tate and five transfers.\n<\/p>\n \n\t(Note: Adolph is listed as a returner because he still has another year of eligibility, but it\u2019s unconfirmed whether he will be back for another season at Ohio State after participating in Senior Day festivities last season.)\n<\/p>\n \tTight End (7)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (4): Bennett Christian (No. 3 TE in 2025), Nate Roberts (No. 4 TE in 2025), Max LeBlanc (No Snaps in 2025), Brody Lennon (Redshirt in 2025)\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (3): Hunter Welcing (Transfer), Mason Williams (Transfer), Nick Lautar (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (3): Will Kacmarek (Senior), Max Klare (NFL Draft), Jelani Thurman (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State has to replace its top two tight ends from last season in Kacmarek and Klare, with Klare leaving a year of eligibility behind to enter the NFL draft. Even so, the Buckeyes should have strong depth at tight end once again after bringing in Welcing from Northwestern<\/a> and Williams from Ohio<\/a> \u2013 both of them were starters at their previous schools \u2013 while Christian and Roberts return after seeing regular playing time last season.\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Ohio State surely would have liked to have Klare back for another season, none of the departures from this unit came as big surprises, and the Buckeyes did a solid job rebuilding the room by adding two veteran transfers who should be capable of leading Ohio State at tight end in 2026.\n<\/p>\n \tOffensive Line (15)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (10): Austin Siereveld (Starting LT in 2025), Luke Montgomery (Starting LG in 2025), Carson Hinzman (Starting C in 2025), Phillip Daniels (Starting RT in 2025), Joshua Padilla (Rotational RG in 2025), Gabe VanSickle (Rotational RG in 2025), Ian Moore (No. 3 OT in 2025), Deontae Armstrong (Third-String OT in 2025), Carter Lowe (Third-String OT in 2025), Jake Cook (Third-String G in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (5): Sam Greer (Freshman), Maxwell Riley (Freshman), Landry Brede (Freshman), Tucker Smith (Freshman), Mason Wilhelm (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (6): Tegra Tshabola (Transfer), Ethan Onianwa (Senior), Devontae Armstrong (Transfer), Isaiah Kema (Transfer), Jayvon McFadden (Transfer), Justin Terry (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tTshabola was Ohio State\u2019s only starter from last season to enter the transfer portal, but he may not have remained a starter if he returned after a roller-coaster 2025 season. Each of Ohio State\u2019s other four starting offensive linemen from last season is back, along with its top three backups from 2025, while all of the other transfer departures were backups with no clear path to bigger roles.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOffensive line is the only position (other than punter) where the Buckeyes haven\u2019t made any transfer additions. Despite its struggles on the offensive line<\/a> in its losses to Indiana and Miami to end this past season, Ohio State is counting on its returning players to get the job done in 2026. There will still be competition up front, though, as Padilla, VanSickle and Moore will all be looking to earn their way into the starting lineup after seeing action off the bench in 2025.\n<\/p>\n \n\tEven with no transfer additions and five transfer departures, Ohio State has enough scholarship offensive linemen for a full three-deep with five incoming freshmen and only one departing senior in Onianwa.\n<\/p>\n \tDefensive End (8)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (4): Kenyatta Jackson Jr. (Starter in 2025), Zion Grady (Second-String in 2025), Beau Atkinson (Second-String in 2025), Epi Sitanilei (Redshirt in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (4): Qua Russaw (Transfer), Khary Wilder (Freshman), Dre Quinn (Freshman), Darryus McKinley (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (5): Caden Curry (Senior), C.J. Hicks (Transfer), Dominic Kirks (Transfer), Logan George (Transfer), Joshua Mickens (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State lost four reserve defensive ends to the transfer portal, but Hicks was the only one among them who was viewed as a candidate to play a significant role in 2026. While the Buckeyes missed out on their top transfer target in former Penn State defensive end Chaz Coleman, who went to Tennessee<\/a>, they still added a talented transfer edge rusher in Russaw<\/a> while retaining three of their top four defensive ends from last season in Jackson, Grady and Atkinson.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s some uncertainty as to who Ohio State can count on to play major roles in this group in 2026 outside of Jackson, but Grady looks like a star in the making while Atkinson and Russaw are veterans with plenty of experience from their previous schools (Atkinson transferred to Ohio State from North Carolina in 2024). A redshirt freshman in Sitanilei plus a trio of true freshmen led by Wilder, a top-50 overall prospect<\/a> in the 2026 class, give Ohio State a promising group of young players to round out the defensive end depth chart.\n<\/p>\n \tDefensive Tackle (8)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (3): Eddrick Houston (Rotational Starter in 2025), Will Smith Jr. (Second-String in 2025), Jason Moore (Third-String in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (5): James Smith (Transfer), John Walker (Transfer), Jamir Perez (Freshman), Emanuel Ruffin (Freshman), Damari Simeon (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (6): Kayden McDonald (NFL Draft), Tywone Malone Jr. (Senior), Jarquez Carter (Transfer), Eric Mensah (Transfer), Trajen Odom (Transfer), Maxwell Roy (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tNeeding to add a couple of transfer defensive tackles to effectively replace McDonald and Malone from last season\u2019s starting lineup, Ohio State did that by landing Smith from Alabama<\/a> and Walker from UCF<\/a>. Houston and Smith return from last season\u2019s two-deep while Moore also remains at Ohio State for a fourth year as a Buckeye, giving Ohio State a strong core of five veteran defensive tackles to lead its depth chart.\n<\/p>\n \n\tLosing the entire 2025 freshman class of Carter, Odom and Roy after just one year leaves a gap at the position after the veterans, but the Buckeyes still have enough scholarship defensive tackles to fill out a four-deep with the incoming freshman class of Perez, Ruffin and Simeon.\n<\/p>\n \tLinebacker (9)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (5): Payton Pierce (No. 3 LB in 2025), Riley Pettijohn (No. 4 LB in 2025), TJ Alford (Third-String in 2025), Garrett Stover (Third-String in 2025), Eli Lee (Redshirt in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (4): Christian Alliegro (Transfer), Cincere Johnson (Freshman), Braxton Rembert (Freshman), CJ Sanna (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (3): Arvell Reese (NFL Draft), Sonny Styles (Senior), Ty Howard (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State\u2019s linebacker roster looks very healthy even with the departures of two projected first-round draft picks in Reese and Styles.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThe addition of Alliegro from Wisconsin<\/a>, paired with two up-and-coming potential stars in Pierce and Pettijohn, gives Ohio State an excellent trio to lead the position group. With three other returning linebackers in Alford, Stover and Lee, plus three incoming freshmen led by a top-50 overall prospect<\/a> in Johnson, the Buckeyes have more than enough depth at a position where they usually have only two players on the field.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State suffered no notable transfer losses at linebacker as their lone outgoing transfer at the position, Howard, played zero snaps in 2025 after transferring in from Duquesne.\n<\/p>\n \tCornerback (8)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (4): Jermaine Mathews Jr. (Starter in 2025), Devin Sanchez (No. 3 CB in 2025), Miles Lockhart (Third-String in 2025), Jordyn Woods (Redshirt in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (4): Cam Calhoun (Transfer), Dominick Kelly (Transfer), Jay Timmons (Freshman), Jordan Thomas (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (4): Davison Igbinosun (Senior), Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Senior), Aaron Scott Jr. (Transfer), Bryce West (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State suffered two disappointing transfer losses at cornerback with the departures of Scott and West, who would have been in line to be the Buckeyes\u2019 third and fourth corners behind Mathews and Sanchez, but replenished their depth by bringing in Calhoun and Kelly. Calhoun<\/a> was an excellent third cornerback at Utah in 2024 before transferring to Alabama in 2025, while Kelly<\/a> performed well in limited action last year at Georgia, so both of them are capable candidates to back up Mathews and Sanchez alongside Timmons and Thomas, highly touted four-star prospects in the 2026 class.\n<\/p>\n \n\tAssuming Sanchez makes the strides he\u2019s expected to make in his second year as a Buckeye and lives up to his five-star pedigree as a first-year starter opposite Mathews, Ohio State\u2019s cornerback unit looks strong even after losing four of its top six players from last season.\n<\/p>\n \tSafety (9)<\/p>\n \n\tReturners (3): Jaylen McClain (Starter in 2025), Leroy Roker III (Second-String in 2025), DeShawn Stewart (Redshirt in 2025)\n<\/p>\n \n\tAdditions (6): Earl Little Jr. (Transfer), Terry Moore (Transfer), Blaine Bradford (Freshman), Khmari Bing (Freshman), Simeon Caldwell (Freshman), Kaden Gebhardt (Freshman)\n<\/p>\n \n\tDepartures (5): Caleb Downs (NFL Draft), Faheem Delane (Transfer), Cody Haddad (Transfer), Malik Hartford (Transfer), Keenan Nelson Jr. (Transfer)\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhile no one can truly replace Downs, a two-time unanimous All-American, Ohio State filled the vacancy he left at safety by adding two second-team All-ACC transfers in Little<\/a> and Moore<\/a>, who are both expected to start alongside McClain with Moore playing free safety and Little playing nickel safety.\n<\/p>\n