Ohio State has handled the transfer portal about as well as any program can, and the Buckeyes have usually come out ahead. Ethan Onianwa is the one miss the source points to, but the bigger story here is on the other side of the ledger: a few former Buckeyes left Columbus chasing a better path and ended up finding a much tougher road.
Looking back over the last full cycle of eligibility, starting with the 2022 recruiting class, three former Ohio State players stand out as guys who probably wish they had stayed put. Each had a real chance to carve out a role in Columbus. Instead, they moved on and watched the opportunities dry up.
Air Noland is the clearest example. A four-star quarterback in the 2024 class, he arrived with plenty of intrigue, especially with Ohio State trying to sort out life after the Kyle McCord disaster.
He was never going to win the job as a true freshman, but the path to competing for it in 2025 was there. Noland never stuck around long enough to find out.
He left for South Carolina before that season, and he did it before Julian Sayin even transferred to Ohio State. At South Carolina, he spent his time behind LaNorris Sellers.
This offseason, he moved on again, transferring to Memphis. That gives him one last shot at playing time, but there’s no guarantee it comes.
Caleb Burton III’s exit was even more surprising in some ways. A four-star receiver in the 2022 class, he was supposed to be one of the next big Ohio State pass catchers.
Instead, he left after just one year when the snaps didn’t come the way he wanted. Burton III landed at Auburn and spent two seasons there, but the production never really followed: 18 catches for 275 yards.
After the 2024 season, he transferred to UConn, but he never played for the Huskies. Now he’s out of football, and the Buckeyes’ depth chart he walked away from suddenly looks like a missed opportunity.
Jyaire Brown followed a similar path. Another four-star from the 2022 class, the Ohio cornerback had the kind of profile that made him look like a future contributor.
He stayed in Columbus for two seasons and logged nine total tackles and a forced fumble, which was the bulk of his action with the Buckeyes. After the 2023 season, he transferred to LSU, barely played there, then moved on to UCF and again saw very little action.
He is at Southern Miss now for his final year of eligibility. If he had stayed at Ohio State, the source suggests he might have eventually worked his way into a starting role.
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