Buckeyes lose potential future defensive starter in transfer to Virginia Tech

The Buckeyes have lost 25 players to the portal following the team's exit of the College Football Playoffs.

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Eric Mensah (90) against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

When it rains, it pours.

The Ohio State Buckeyes can't seem to be able to keep many of its current players in Columbus following the team's somewhat disappointing finish to the 2025 campaign. The Buckeyes finished the year falling to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten championship, followed by a loss a few weeks later to the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoffs in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

On Sunday, Jan. 11, more bad news was dished out as the program was informed that sophomore defensive lineman Eric Mensah had officially committed to transferring to Virginia Tech. He will join the newly acquired head coach, James Franklin, who left Penn State back in the middle of the 2025 season.

Mensah had spent the past two seasons as a depth lineman, rarely seeing the field with the Buckeyes.

Former Ohio State defensive tackle Eric Mensah is transferring to Virginia Tech to play for James Franklin. Mensah originally committed to the Hokies out of high school before flipping to the Buckeyes.https://t.co/Lg8y75KXg2 pic.twitter.com/BRzty998Sr

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) January 11, 2026

The decision for Mensah to take his talents to Virginia Tech shouldn't come as a big surprise.

Coming out of high school, he had initially committed to become a Hokie. However, he ultimately flipped to join the Buckeyes. Mensah is also a native of Virginia, so returning to his home state gives him that closer bond that he may be looking for. He played high school ball for Mountain View High School in Stafford.

Over the course of two seasons with Ohio State, the redshirt sophomore appeared in just one game during his career, playing against Grambling State early in the 2025 season. The Buckeyes won that game 70-0, and he recorded two tackles.

Heading into the upcoming season, the Buckeyes are confirmed to be without All-American defensive lineman Kayden McDonald, who entered the 2026 NFL Draft, while a few others are currently contemplating the decision to play at the next level as well. That means that Mensah could have gotten a shot at more playing time.

He ultimately believes, though, that his best chance to see regular action on the gridiron is with a different program. At Virginia Tech, he'll have an opportunity to compete for a starting spot as soon as he walks through the front door.

So far, the NCAA Transfer Portal hasn't been kind to the Buckeyes.

With plenty of players entering the portal and finding new homes, including Mensah, the team's coaching staff hasn't been able to lure any high-profile players back in return to fill opened holes. They've been able to swing six players to the program, including linebacker Christian Alliegro from Wisconsin, but outside of him, none of the other names pop off the paper.

Any player who's yet to enter the portal will have five more days to do so with the window closing on Thursday, Jan. 15.

Ohio State plans to stay active till the very end, though, as head coach Ryan Day attempts to retool heading into 2026.