Ohio State appears to be very close on a transfer portal quarterback and recieves great news from…
|The Buckeyes appear set and prepared to compete in the transfer portal.
With Kyle McCord’s transfer to Syracuse, the Buckeyes’ focus has switched to Devin Brown, not only as the starter for the Cotton Bowl, but potentially for the entire 2024 season if all goes well. Instead, Brown’s unfortunate injury allowed him to miss most of the game, and while the jury is still out on him after only two series, this team’s directive to add a true signal caller has been raised.
The Cotton Bowl loss was neither Brown’s or Lincoln Kienholz’ fault, but with the game behind them, this program has to bring in someone with expertise. You can’t bet the 2024 season on hope, and if it offends or causes a current roster player to leave, so be it. It’s a new age in college football, and with the way the squad performed this year, that position cannot be up for grabs again.
The whispers have been circulating for days, but Kansas State transfer Will Howard’s smoke is nearly catching fire at this point. Multiple sites have gone so far as to imply that Howard is a done deal for the Buckeyes, and if that is the case, Ohio State will have improved the standard of play in the current room.
Although not the top Justin Field-type transfer one hopes for — there aren’t many of those — if the Buckeyes are able to land Howard, it provides them with an experienced presence in the room who has plenty of experience playing in big time games as a starter. With Brown, Kienholz, and, eventually, Air Noland in the mix, Ohio State would not only have a solid battle for the starting job, but would also take the next step in terms of confidence that the team had a real dude under center.
Buckeyes get a major player to return for 2024
If Ohio State hopes to compete for a national championship again next season, it must solve a number of issues. The Buckeyes’ on-field product and personnel difficulties haven’t been particularly popular with fans in the last month or two, but even when this program appears to be “down,” the ultimate result is still an 11-2 season, which is a pretty high floor all things considered.
However, it is clearly insufficient and must be rectified. Ohio State’s expectations are as high as they can be, and this program must meet them in order to continue. The standard exists for a purpose, and Day and his crew must meet it.
That being said, Ohio State received some wonderful news for the 2024 team on Wednesday when current Buckeye Tyleik Williams revealed his plans to return to the Buckeyes for his senior season.
Williams, a big player this past season, burst onto the forefront following a quiet first two years in the program. As a junior, the 6-foot-2, 290-pound blocker clearly figured it out, as his snap count and production for defensive tackles were among the best in the NCAA. Considering how much he progressed in just one season, the expectations for him as a senior are much higher now, and bringing him back for another shot will be crucial for this defense overall.
From his individual performance to his assistance in mentoring the younger players, the Buckeyes have won big. While not flawless, the defense improved significantly in year two under Knowles, and you’d have to imagine that if numerous additional people chose to return to Ohio State, it only strengthens their chances of being even better in 2024.
Williams is locked in, and as the staff awaits the decisions of several other key players on their own roster, this announcement could impact the thinking of his teammates who will soon also share their plans.
Ohio State set to host transfer portal offensive line target
If you watched the Cotton Bowl at all, it didn’t take more than a series to realize Ohio State’s offensive line needs some serious help and improvement before 2024. Whether you think there needs to be a change of position coach or better players or even a combination of both, we can all agree that the line needs to get a ton better, and the portal is where that solution has to exist.
It might not be the perfect fix, but Ohio State has to give their best effort at bringing in not just one, but multiple guys to sure up the unit. Likely to take some time, Ohio State is at least already getting to work, as on Wednesday it became public that the Buckeyes hosted portal target, Derrick Graham.
A 6-foot-4, 315 pound lineman, Graham is transferring from Troy, where he started every game this season at tackle. Hard to say if he would stay at the tackle position, at the very least Graham is a proven starter already who would raise the level of competition for one, but could also potentially be a guy that could slide into a guard spot.
Again, Derrick cannot be the only guy the Buckeyes seriously look at and host for a visit, but this is a start. Some serious questions will need to be answered by Day regarding the position, and the quickest way to solve the issues are to address the players on the roster. Look for the staff to increase the efforts mightily in the coming days and weeks when it comes to this position group, as they too saw that this group did not perform anywhere near what is the expectation the last time they were on the field.
Quick Hits
- No surprise at all, but Buckeye receiver signee Jeremiah Smith is already putting on a show at the All-American Bowl practices. While he’s been in the headlines for several topics such as his signing day decision down the stretch, the main newsworthy aspect worth discussing is his play on the field.
Turning heads in one-on-ones and in drill work, Smith, who was already thought to be ready for the next level, is once again showing why he was the nation’s best player in the 2024 class. Named the MVP for Day 2, Smith has showed no signs of slowing down the rest of this week.
It’s easy to see why so many believe Smith will come in and compete to start as a true freshman for the Buckeyes.
Ohio State Five-Star Plus+ WR signee Jeremiah Smith continues to impress at All-American Bowl practice🌰
(🎥: @samspiegs)
Live updates: https://t.co/uanFg1ETIt pic.twitter.com/tJ7qhsBAa0
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) January 3, 2024