Projecting Who’s Staying and Who’s Leaving from Ohio State After CFP Title Game
Had the Buckeyes endured an early exit from the College Football Playoff, the heat on head coach Ryan Day may have intensified.
Instead, Ohio State went on an incredible run to win a national championship with wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame.
The program might have gone into the offseason with plenty of question marks and instability at head coach, but now have more momentum than anyone in college football.
It’s also safe to expect Day will return in 2025.
Of course, many key players will not.
Who’s Staying
All-American Receiver
Though the Bucks returned a star veteran in Emeka Egbuka, a freshman ended up leading the receiving corps. Jeremiah Smith tallied 57 catches for team-high marks of 934 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season. He garnered second-team AP All-America honors.
All-American Safety
On the other side of the ball, Ohio State brings back a two-time All-American at safety. Caleb Downs landed that recognition at Alabama in his freshman year, transferred to Ohio State and earned it again. Downs tallied 62 tackles with 6.5 for loss, adding one interception and returning a punt for a touchdown during his debut year in Columbus.
Ryan Day
Money is not necessarily in short supply and the buyout north of $30 million might have been appealing a month ago. However, Ryan Day should have plenty of leeway going forward after leading the squad to a national title.
At least until the next Michigan game.
Who’s Leaving
Lots of Skill on Offense
The offense will be much different because quarterback Will Howard, running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and tight end Gee Scott Jr. have all used up their eligibility. Plus, it’s reasonable to expect running back Quinshon Judkins will enter the 2025 NFL draft.
Most of the Linemen, on Both Sides
No sense in sugarcoating: This is huge rebuild up front. Left tackle Josh Simmons is headed to the NFL, while left guard/tackle Donovan Jackson, center Seth McLaughlin and right tackle Josh Fryar have each exhausted their eligibility. The defensive line loses the whole starting group of edge-rushers Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, along with D-tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton.
Outgoing Transfers
In addition to a few more veteran departures, the Buckeyes will inevitably be dealing with transfers. To date, the notable names in the portal are quarterbacks Devin Brown and Air Noland. Wide receiver Jayden Ballard and linebacker Gabe Powers are in the portal, too.
Who’s on the Way
Phillip Daniels and More Transfers
Early in the December window, the Buckeyes picked up offensive lineman Phillip Daniels. He played right tackle for Minnesota and will compete for a starting job in 2025. Daniels surely won’t be Ohio State’s lone addition in the portal, and that news should pick up soon.
The Latest 5-Star QB
Signing a quarterback in every recruiting class is essential. The amount of movement in the portal requires it, really. Ohio State has always followed that model, and 5-star Tavien St. Clair has signed with the Buckeyes. The in-state QB is rated as the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect.
Another Top 5 Recruiting Class
Ho-hum, business as usual for Ohio State. The other 5-star in the country’s fifth-ranked class is cornerback Devin Sanchez, and the Bucks added 20 more 4-star talents. Both linebacker Riley Pettijohn (41st) and safety Faheem Delane (49th) are top-50 prospects, as well.
College football transfer portal tracker: Cal lands Ohio State backup QB Devin Brown
Transfer season for college football is coming to an end — for now.
The portal opened on Monday, Dec. 9 and closed Saturday, Dec. 28 for players who were not part of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff and later bowl games. Players who did participate in postseason matches were allowed to enter an additional five-day transfer portal window in January after their season ended.
The portal will open again in the spring from April 16-25.
Let’s take a look at the players who decided to test the waters and transfer.
Ohio State QB Devin Brown to Cal
Ohio State backup quarterback Devin Brown is transferring to California. Brown entered the transfer portal in December but stayed with the Buckeyes through their run to the national championship that ended with a win Monday night over Notre Dame. Cal announced Tuesday that Brown would be joining the Golden Bears for next season. Brown has thrown for 331 yards and three touchdowns in the past two seasons, mostly in mop-up duty, though he did toss one of Jeremiah Smith’s highlight-reel touchdowns.
Brown has two years of eligibility remaining and is expected to compete with freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele for the starting job at Cal.
Iowa QB Cade McNamara to East Tennessee State
Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara has signed with East Tennessee State. McNamara began his college career at Michigan, where led the team to a Big Ten title and a CFP berth as the starter in 2021, but lost the starting job to J.J. McCarthy before transferring after the 2022 season to Iowa. McNamara, who has dealt with numerous injuries in his career, will be heading into his seventh season.
Wisconsin DB Xavier Lucas to Miami
Former Wisconsin defensive back Xavier Lucas is leaving the school for Miami, his attorney Darren Heitner told Yahoo Sports on Jan. 15. According to the report, Lucas withdrew from classes at Wisconsin and enrolled academically at Miami, but did not formally sign with the Hurricanes, which skirts NCAA transfer rules and avoids a legal filing. Wisconsin didn’t put Lucas’ name into the portal because he had entered into a two-year binding name, image and likeness agreement with “substantial financial compensation,” the school said.
UMass WR Anthony Simpson to Michigan
For the second time in his collegiate career, Simpson is on the move. The receiver began his career at Arizona before transferring to UMass in 2023. Now he’s headed to Michigan for the 2025 season, according to ESPN. Simpson, who dealt with an injury early this past season, played in just two games and left the program in September. He had a strong season in 2023 for the Minutemen under then-OC Steve Casula, who is now the tight ends coach for the Wolverines. Simpson has one year of eligibility remainin
Michigan QB Alex Orji to UNLV
Orji has committed Dan Mullen and UNLV following his departure from Michigan, per his Instagram. The dual-threat quarterback played in 20 games with three starts for the Wolverines, who will welcome five-star recruit Bryce Underwood into the fold. Orji threw for just 150 yards and three touchdowns in 2024, but he helped Michigan on the ground with 269 yards rushing and another score. He’ll compete with fellow transfer QB Anthony Colandrea, who came in from Virginia. Orji has two years of remaining eligibility.
Georgia QB Carson Beck to Miami (FL)
Rather than enter the 2025 NFL Draft, Beck went into the transfer portal and landed with Miami. The senior quarterback suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Georgia’s SEC Championship Game victory over Texas. Georgia later lost to Notre Dame in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff.
Beck, who was Georgia’s primary quarterback the past two seasons (2023-24), averaged 3,713 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 156.2 passer rating per season, while completing 68.4% of his passes. He’s in line to replace Cam Ward, who set Miami single-season records in yards (4,313), completions (305) and touchdown passes (39).
Wisconsin QB Tyler Van Dyke to SMU
Van Dyke is off to SMU, according to ESPN. Van Dyke only appeared in three games for Wisconsin this season, tearing his ACL in Week 3. The Badgers went 5-7. Van Dyke transferred to Wisconsin last offseason after spending the first four seasons of his collegiate career at Miami, leading the ACC in completion percentage in 2023 (65.8%) and throwing for 25 touchdowns in 2021.
The senior signal-caller joins a Mustangs program that went 11-2 this season before losing to Penn State in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Their starting quarterback, Kevin Jennings , is expected to return.
Tulane RB Makhi Hughes to Oregon
Soon after starting running back Jordan James declared for the NFL Draft, the Ducks gained his potential replacement. Hughes announced he’d be transferring to Oregon after rushing for 1,401 yards at Tulane in 2024, which ranked in the top 10 in FBS this season. Hughes’ younger brother, five-star cornerback Na’eem Offord, is a member of Oregon’s 2025 recruiting class.
Florida State WR Malik Benson to Oregon
Benson is headed to his fourth different school for the 2025 season. On Jan. 7, the one-time No. 1 junior college prospect announced his commitment to Oregon. The wide receiver started his collegiate career at Hutchinson Community College, then moved on to Alabama, where he caught 13 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown in 2023. Benson transferred to Florida State for the 2024 season, a down year for the Seminoles. He was the team’s third-leading receiver with 25 catches for 311 yards and a touchdown. Benson has an extra year of eligibility due to a waiver for former JUCO players.
South Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski to Iowa
After an official visit to the Iowa campus on Jan. 3, Gronowski has committed to join the Hawkeyes next season, ESPN reported on Jan. 7 and Gronkoswki later confirmed on social media. The Jackrabbits QB finished the season with 2,719 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns, 380 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs. Gronowski was named the FCS Championship Game MVP in two straight years, following the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He also won the 2023 Walter Payton Award, which goes to the top offensive player in FCS.
USC WR Zachariah Branch and S Zion Branch to Georgia
Georgia landed two of the top players in the portal in brothers Zachariah and Zion Branch out of USC.
Zacharia was a five-star recruit out of the brothers’ hometown of Las Vegas and made 78 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns over his first two seasons at USC. He struggled with drops and never emerged as the elite wideout many expected in USC coach Lincoln Riley’s offense.
Zion, a safety, has struggled with injuries since signing with the Trojans in 2022. He made a combined 41 tackles over the past two seasons after missing the entire 2022 campaign with a lower-body injury.
Michigan WR Tyler Morris to Indiana
The Wolverines’ leading wideout in 2024 is staying in the Big Ten. On Jan. 4, Morris announced his commitment to Indiana. He paced all Michigan receivers with 23 catches for 248 yards and two touchdowns, though he ranked behind tight end Colston Loveland in each category. Those aren’t big numbers, but Michigan averaged just 133.6 yards per game (No. 130 in the nation) as it struggled to find a QB to replace McCarthy, Morris’ high school teammate. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Clemson DL Tré Williams to Michigan
Williams had a notable tenure at Clemson, and his transfer marks a significant addition to Michigan’s roster. The 6-foot-2, 315-pounder has one year of eligibility remaining. He totaled 42 tackles, 10 tackles for loss , 4.0 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two pass breakups in his time with the Tigers.
North Carolina State WR Kevin Concepcion to Texas A&M
The Aggies added another talented wide receiver through the portal soon after they brought in Mario Craver from Mississippi State and Micah Hudson from Texas Tech. Concepcion announced his decision to transfer from NC State to Texas A&M on Dec. 29. Concepcion won ACC Rookie of the Year and was named a freshman All-American in 2023.
Ole Miss S Louis Moore to Louisville
Moore is leaving Oxford for Louisville, according to multiple reports. The Cardinals will be Moore’s third collegiate team, as he played for Indiana from 2022-23 before transferring to Ole Miss. This season, Moore totaled 33 combined tackles and one fumble recovery. Last season, he reeled in three interceptions. Moore joins a Louisville team that’s 8-4 and plays Washington in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
Kentucky WR Dane Key to Nebraska
Key will join newly-acquired quarterback Dylan Raiola for 2025 and is projected to be the top target, ESPN reported on Dec. 24. Key posted 47 catches for 715 yards and two touchdowns as a junior.
Cal QB Fernando Mendoza to Indiana
Indiana has its Kurtis Rourke replacement, securing the commitment of former Cal QB Fernando Mendoza on Christmas Eve, ESPN reported. Mendoza, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, had a strong sophomore season for a .500 Cal team. He threw for 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions. Mendoza was viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the transfer portal as a result of his play in 2024.
Rice OT Ethan Onianwa to Ohio State
Just days after its first-round CFP win, Ohio State picked up another major victory in the transfer portal. Ethan Onianwa, widely regarded as one of the sport’s top offensive tackles, committed to Ohio State. Onianwa was viewed by some scouts as a potential second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, per FOX Sports’ Bruce Feldman. Instead, he’ll join an Ohio State squad that is expected to lose a couple of standouts on its offensive line in the draft this offseason.
Penn State QB Beau Pribula to Missouri
Former Nittany Lions backup QB Beau Pribula confirmed on Instagram earlier reports that he would transfer to Missouri. He’ll be in line to replace three-year starter Brady Cook, the Tigers’ outgoing senior signal-caller. Less than a week before Penn State’s first playoff game, it discovered it would be without Pribula, who entered the portal on Dec. 15, saying he had to enter at the time he did due to the brevity of the window. Pribula had 35 passing attempts and 38 rushes this season, along with nine total touchdowns. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
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