Ohio State may need to shop the transfer portal for a veteran quarterback, but the list of realistic targets is already looking thin.
Julian Sayin’s throwing shoulder injury could shut down what may be his final college season, and if Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair isn’t ready to handle the job, the Buckeyes could be pushed toward an experienced stopgap for 2027.
That’s the theory, anyway. In practice, two of the biggest names tied to that conversation may already be moving out of reach.
Braden Atkinson, the breakout quarterback at Oregon State, has become one of the hottest names floating around the portal chatter. But there was a strong sign Friday afternoon that he may be staying put. Beavers receiver Jesse Legree announced he was re-signing with Oregon State for the 2027 season, a move that suggests Atkinson may not be headed anywhere.
Atkinson always looked like an enticing swing for Ohio State, even if he wasn’t an ideal match for Arthur Smith’s system. A big arm in Columbus would’ve been fun to imagine. That possibility may be fading fast.
Arch Manning is the other name drawing attention, but the talk around him points away from Ohio State and toward the SEC. Manning took over as Texas’ full-time QB1 and opened that run with a 14-7 loss to the Buckeyes in Week 1 of the 2025 season. It would have made for a neat ending if his career circled back to Columbus, but the rumor mill says he may instead follow an Ole Miss path if he leaves Texas.
“Arch could transfer,” NFL insider Tom Pelissero said on The Bill Simmons Podcast. “I texted one person who's known Arch for a long time, and I said, 'Where do you see Arch in 2027,' and his response was, 'Ole Miss.'”
For now, that’s all it is: a rumor. And if Manning does leave, the chatter doesn’t have him headed to the Big Ten.
That leaves Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey as the cleaner fit if Ohio State needs to pivot. The Golden Gophers have made progress under P.J. Fleck, but they may not be able to outbid Ohio State if the Buckeyes decide to make a run.
Lindsey is the kind of veteran quarterback who makes sense for Smith’s offense, and he’s the name Mark Pantoni and company should be watching closely if Fahey or St. Clair isn’t ready to take over in Sayin’s absence. If Sayin doesn’t come back and instead turns his attention to the NFL, Ohio State’s need gets even sharper.
So the portal options may be narrowing before Ohio State even gets to the serious part of the search. Two of the biggest names may have already slipped off the board.
In Other News...
Gophers Fans Will Love This Floyd Of Rosedale Celebration Moment
The Gophers got more than a hard-fought 13-10 win over Iowa on Saturday. They got Floyd of Rosedale back, and the postgame celebration matched the moment, with the trophy carried through a crowd of Minnesota fans before the team later made room for it in the trophy cases alongside the rest of the rivalry hardware. Luke Drzewieckis two field goals were enough to earn him Big Ten special teams player of the week, a fitting footnote for a game decided by the kind of details these Border Battle showdowns usually turn on.
One of the more memorable scenes from the celebration quickly made the rounds online, adding a family touch to a rivalry trophy that already means plenty in Minnesota. It was the kind of image that fit the mood around the program after the win, and the sort of thing that tends to linger long after the scoreboard is forgotten, even as the Gophers keep moving through a week that has them looking at Floyd a little differently again. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Beat Iowa With A Formula Hawkeyes Fans Know Too Well
Minnesotas win over No. 15 Iowa looked a lot like the kind of game Hawkeyes fans have spent years expecting to control. The Gophers leaned on defense, special teams and sheer toughness to take back the Floyd of Rosedale trophy, while Iowa never found the sort of offensive rhythm needed to turn field position and pressure into points.
The tone of the afternoon changed early with a blocked punt on Iowas opening possession, and Minnesota kept making the kind of gritty plays that tend to decide this rivalry. Iowa finished with four turnovers and few big plays to fall back on, while Luke Drzewieckis long field goal gave the Gophers a crucial cushion they would not surrender. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Suddenly Have A National Spotlight And Bigger Stakes Saturday
Minnesota heads into Saturday with a little more national attention than usual, as ESPNs College GameDay will set up on the Indiana campus for the Gophers matchup with No. 6 Indiana at Memorial Stadium. Its the kind of stage that brings extra eyes, extra noise and a reminder that a late-season Big Ten game can carry far beyond the usual conference stakes.
For P.J. Flecks group, it also adds a familiar wrinkle to an unfamiliar setting. This is the second time Minnesota has been part of College GameDay under Fleck, though this time the Gophers are the road team, and they arrive with some momentum after last weeks 13-10 win over Iowa. That victory gave Minnesota multiple rivalry trophies at once for the first time since 1978, and now the challenge is carrying that energy into one of the leagues biggest road environments. [Read more 🡒]