Ohio State's Glaring Concern Continues to Grow After Transfer Portal Bust

The Ohio State Buckeyes definitely added a big name in the transfer portal, landing former North Carolina Tar Heels defensive end Beau Atkinson, but Ohio State was unable to rectify its biggest area of concern during the spring portal: defensive tackle.

The Buckeyes went into the portal window knowing that they needed to find a fix along the interior of their defensive line, but they were unable to acquire one.

Andy Anders of Eleven Warriors has extrapolated on how much of a problem this could be for Ohio State heading into the 2025 college football season.

"There’s a reason [Ryan] Day said after the Buckeyes’ spring game that they’d take a 'hard look' at transfer portal options on the defensive interior," Anders wrote. "Whenever starters Kayden McDonald and Eddrick Houston came off the field during the exhibition, there were highway-sized running lanes opened up for running backs on offense. The offense averaged 5.9 yards per carry."

The defensive line was a major strength of the Buckeyes' last season, with Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton holding down the fort in the trenches and Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau exploding off the edge. However, all four players departed for the NFL Draft this offseason, leaving a rather gaping hole in Columbus.

Behind McDonald and Houston (who are unproven themselves), Ohio State has very limited depth at defensive tackle, which could absolutely pose a significant issue in the smashmouth Big Ten conference.

"If someone doesn’t step up in a big way, nose guard depth could remain an unpatched 320-pound hole in Ohio State’s roster," Anders concluded.

We'll see if the Buckeyes can somehow manage to find an internal solution.

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