It has been a busy offseason for Ohio State. The Buckeyes lost double-digit starters and other key contributors from the 2025 season to graduation or early entry into the NFL Draft. The Scarlet and Gray also retooled the staff in anticipation of building on a 12-0 regular season that fell short of expectations in the postseason.
Ohio State has been busy through April, but has the offseason been productive? According to ESPN, the answer is yes, though not as strong as some of the teams the Buckeyes will compete against in 2026.
On Tuesday, ESPN ranked the offseasons for every Power Four college football team. According to the rankings, the Scarlet and Gray have had the country’s 10th-best offseason. In the Big Ten, Ohio State ranks fourth, behind No. 1 Indiana, No. 2 Oregon and No. 3 USC.
“Georgia, Texas A&M and several other programs had great offseasons. But it’s hard to nitpick much about how the Buckeyes’ offseason played out, with plenty of star power returning and key veteran additions on defense,” ESPN wrote of the Buckeyes’ offseason. “New OC Arthur Smith’s influence on the offensive direction will be intriguing to follow as this squad pursues its second national championship in three years.”
According to ESPN, the Hoosiers have had the best offseason nationally. After winning the 2025 national championship, Indiana is not expected to go anywhere, keeping the coaching staff together and using the transfer portal to offset some of the Hoosiers’ losses. ESPN also believes Miami, Texas, Oregon, LSU, USC, Texas Tech, Ole Miss and Notre Dame have had better offseasons than the Scarlet and Gray.
ESPN highlighted Ohio State’s additions to the transfer portal, including defensive tackle James Smith, defensive end Qua Russaw and safety Earl Little Jr., but focused on the hiring of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator. They wrote that the veteran offensive line coach gives head coach Ryan Day “the freedom to oversee the whole program,” similar to when he hired Chip Kelly in the same role on the way to winning the national championship in 2024.
Where the Buckeyes fell behind other top programs, according to ESPN, is in the offseason departures.
“Ohio State is replacing the stars of its defense for the second straight year as (Caleb) Downs, (Arvell) Reese and Kayden McDonald all skipped their final seasons of college eligibility, and the team also lost Sonny Styles,” ESPN wrote. “The team also lost offensive coordinator Brian Hartlin, who has overseen a historic stretch of elite wide receivers and been among the nation’s top recruiters, to a head coaching role at South Florida. Ohio State had several notable transfer departures on offense, from guard Tegra Tshabola (Kentucky) and running back James Peoples (Penn State) to emerging wide receivers Mylan Graham and Quincy, both ESPN top-65 national recruits, joining Notre Dame. Tight end Max Klare declared early for the draft, and defensive backs Faheem Delane and Aaron Scott also transferred out.”
While there is no doubt the Scarlet and Gray lost talent this offseason, the national perspective does not seem to match the concern within the program. While it will be difficult to replace Downs, Reese, Styles — all first-round NFL picks — and McDonald, these departures weren’t viewed as a surprise to those inside the oody Hayes Athletic Center. Many of the transfers ESPN mentioned were players who weren’t likely to have major roles this fall after multiple seasons in the program.
That said, ESPN was not entirely negative about Ohio State’s offseason.
Follow Patrick Murphy on Twitter and Instagram for more Ohio State coverage
What’s next for the Buckeyes? Make sure you’re in the loop — take five seconds to sign up for our FREE Buckeyes newsletter now!
“(Jeremiah) Smith had his deep-pocketed suitors, but Ohio State retained the All-American, who will complete his college career in scarlet and gray,” ESPN wrote. “Day also retained his most valuable assistant in defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who coordinated a historically stingy defense in 2025 and will log a second season in Columbus. Arthur Smith’s hiring should give Day comfort to step away from schematic minutia. Ohio State made several portal gains, including Smith and Russaw, both coming from Alabama, safeties Little (Florida State) and Terry Moore (Duke), Northwestern tight end Hunter Welcing, and productive UTSA receiver Devin McCuin. The Buckeyes retained (Chris Henry Jr.) as the jewel of a recruiting class that ranked No. 9 nationally and included seven top-100 prospects.”
While the Buckeyes’ transfer class didn’t feature big-name additions, it’s possible, maybe even likely, that we look back at the end of the year on the 17 players who arrived this offseason and see a number of key contributors for the Scarlet and Gray. Ohio State also had talented players on the roster ready to step into bigger roles, something that often gets overlooked when evaluating an offseason, as ESPN has done.
