Ohio State Buckeyes loses player into transfer portal moments after Cotton Bowl loss

The Ohio State Buckeyes could not overcome their bye week as they lost their Cotton Bowl matchup in the College Football Playoff against the Miami Hurricanes 24-14.

There’s no denying that it was another brutal New Year’s Eve for the Buckeyes, who are now 0-3 on the holiday in the CFP era.

But the loss got worse when news broke right as the players departed the field at AT&T Bank Stadium that the Buckeyes would be losing a player to the transfer portal.

Ohio State tight end Jelani Thurman’s agent at Rosenhaus Sports told college football insider Hayes Fawcett that he plans to enter the transfer portal after the defeat. The 6-foot-6 tight end out of Georgia will have two years of eligibility remaining.

BREAKING: Ohio State TE Jelani Thurman plans to enter the @TransferPortal, his agent tells @On3Sports

The 6’6 250 TE appeared in 21 games in his time with the Buckeyes

He’ll have 2 years of eligibility left

Repped by @rosenhaussports https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/r0pwpbXmed
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 1, 2026

Thurman has appeared in 21 games during three seasons with Ohio State. The imposing tight end appeared in all 16 games for Ohio State during their national championship season in 2024.

However, he was bumped down the depth chart when the Buckeyes brought in Max Klare as a transfer. Klare’s impact wasn’t enough during the Big Ten Championship loss against Indiana and Ohio State’s season finale against the Hurricanes. The highly-touted Purdue transfer will likely declare for the NFL Draft.

Without Klare and Thurman, the Buckeyes will likely be on the hunt for a tight end as they prepare for their 2026 season.

But Ohio State will have plenty of other questions as they gear up for next season. Thurman’s departure feels like a minor footnote.

That’s because head coach Ryan Day will be tasked with finding an offensive coordinator to replace Brian Hartline, who coached his last game on the field for the Buckeyes wide receivers as he’s set to take over as head coach at USF. Day took over Ohio State’s offense, which struggled to find consistency against the Hurricanes, scoring just 14 points.

Despite a shaky performance in the Cotton Bowl, the Buckeyes will likely return Julain Sayin for his junior season as the team’s starting quarterback. During his first season as the starter, Sayin was a Heisman finalist and won the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award.

Protecting Sayin will be a priority for the Buckeyes next season. Certainly, they will be on the hunt for a tight end that can impact the pass game and in protection after Thurman announced that he will likely be moving on from Columbus.