Ohio State’s season has started to bend in a direction nobody in Columbus wanted, and that’s what makes the transfer portal conversation so real now.
The Buckeyes have been on the right side of portal movement in recent years, bringing in NFL-caliber names like Caleb Downs, Quinshon Judkins, Will Howard and Julian Sayin in 2024 and 2025. But this year’s group hasn’t matched the talent that left for the draft over the last two seasons, and after Saturday’s home loss to Oregon, Ohio State is staring at the possibility of missing its first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff. If that happens, the roster could look different fast.
One name to watch is quarterback Tavien St. Clair.
He was supposed to be the next great quarterback in line after Julian Sayin, but each week it looks more likely he won’t be a Buckeye for long. When Sayin went down against Indiana, Ryan Day turned to freshman Luke Fahey, and the offense has taken a step back since then.
St. Clair hasn’t had a shot to spark it back to life, even with Oregon stretching the lead to 24 points in the fourth quarter after three straight drives ended on downs.
He stayed on the sideline throughout that stretch, and Day made it clear Tuesday that Fahey still gives Ohio State the better chance right now.
“If we feel like [St. Clair] gives us the best chance to win, we will make that move,” Day said in a press conference Tuesday. “We’re not at that point right now.”
At running back, Bo Jackson has gotten the attention, but James Peoples is another player who could be on the move. He opened the season with a bang against Ball State, finishing with 74 total yards and a touchdown, then barely saw the field after that.
He’s been stuck behind Bo Jackson, Ja’Kobi Jackson and Isaiah West, and the lack of explosive production from the run game has only made his limited usage stand out more. He also started training camp dealing with off-field issues, and whatever the reason for the reduced role, it has started to feel like a sign he may not be back next season.
Isaiah West is another back whose future feels unsettled. He got 13 carries against USC last week, then played only 10 snaps against Oregon.
The offseason buzz around him suggested he could form an explosive tandem with Bo Jackson and help give Ohio State one of the Big Ten’s most improved rushing attacks. West could still stay, especially with Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson both in the picture next season, but the uneven workload raises the possibility that he looks elsewhere before 2027.
Linebacker Garrett Alford also fits the list. He flashed in camp and has graded as one of the team’s better linebackers this season, but his snap count has been the lowest among him, Payton Pierce, Christian Alliegro and Riley Pettijohn.
The tape shows plenty to like: downhill burst, coverage ability and even an interception against Ball State. With Alliegro graduating and no major portal additions assumed, Alford should have a bigger role in 2027.
Still, as he heads into his junior year, he may want a place where he can play every down, and that could make him a name to watch after the season.
The least likely departure on this list might be cornerback Davison Sanchez, but even he can’t be ruled out given where things stand. A former five-star recruit, Sanchez has the kind of size-speed combination that can play anywhere, and he could start at almost any program in the country.
Schools like Alabama and Texas, his home school, were in his top 10 out of high school, and both appear to be moving in a better direction. If Ohio State’s season ends the wrong way, Sanchez could start thinking hard about his future as he enters his junior season.
He would be the Buckeyes’ top corner next year, and he’d also be expected to project as a first-round pick in the 2028 or 2029 NFL draft. But if he loses confidence in what the defense can become, he may decide he needs a different path to protect that stock.
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Ohio State Suddenly Has A Receiver Problem Before Northwestern
The quarterback situation already had enough attention heading into Ohio States matchup with Northwestern, with both teams set to be without their starters under center because of injuries. But the Buckeyes may be dealing with a wider offensive shortage than expected, since three of their top six wide receivers are listed as questionable, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game that already looked like it would require some adjustment.
Brandon Inniss, Phillip Bell and Brock Boyd are all in question, while running back JaKobi Jackson and tight end Max LeBlanc remain sidelined. Northwestern is also shorthanded, with eight players out including starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and cornerback Josh Fussell, so this could turn into a game defined less by star power than by which side handles the attrition better and finds enough reliable options to function on offense. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Week 10 Spiral Says Plenty About This Teams Ceiling
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The latest conference pecking order reflects that uncertainty, with Ohio State sitting eighth after Week 10 while other league contenders continue to build momentum around it. For a program that expects to be in the thick of every major postseason discussion, the current spiral says plenty about the ceiling this version of the Buckeyes can reach unless the pieces start coming together soon. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States 2027 Running Back Picture Just Got More Interesting
Ohio States 2027 running back board picked up a notable addition when Daylon Gordon, a four-star prospect from Wylie, Texas, committed to the Buckeyes after previously being pledged to Texas State. Gordon arrives with a Power 4 offer sheet and gives Ohio State another talented name to build around as the class starts to take shape.
Even with Gordon on board, the Buckeyes are not treating the position as settled. They are still pursuing more running backs for the 2027 class, which keeps the room competitive and leaves open the possibility that this group could grow into one of the more interesting pieces of the cycle. [Read more 🡒]