Ohio State scores a win by adding a coveted wide receiver at the transfer deadline

The hard deadline for players to enter their names in the transfer portal arrived on Friday, with teams still scrambling to secure some last-minute help. The Ohio State Buckeyes were one of the teams receiving some outstanding news at the deadline.

Former LSU wide receiver Kyle Parker is joining the Buckeyes, further solidifying Ohio State’s receiving corps for the 2026 campaign.

BOOM! Ohio State lands LSU transfer WR Kyle Parker!

Parker caught 31 passes for 330 yards and 4 TD’s this season.

Now links back up with WR coach Cortez Hankton. Good addition for the Buckeyes! pic.twitter.com/yJsbXx3dfQ
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) January 16, 2026

Ohio State lands promising LSU wide receiver

Parker will now rejoin his former position coach from LSU, Cortez Hankton, in Columbus. Hankton was tabbed to become Ohio State’s new wide receiver coach on January 1st, looking to replace Brian Hartline, who left his position as the Buckeye’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach to become USF’s head coach. Parker is Hankton’s first big transfer from a P4 school. He joined LSU as part of their 2023 class over offers from Texas, SMU, Louisville and Penn State, according to numerous reports.

Parker arrives on campus after a 2025 season that saw him catch 31 balls for 330 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll join a group spearheaded by arguably the best wideout in the game, Jeremiah Smith, and holdover Brandon Inniss, who bypassed the 2026 NFL Draft for another season at Ohio State. The Buckeyes will also feature five-star Chris Henry Jr., the top wideout in the 2026 recruiting class, and UTSA transfer Devin McCuin on an offense led by Heisman hopeful Julian Sayin at quarterback.

Signing Hankton was already a win for the Buckeyes, securing a coach who assisted in the development of such names as Mecole Hardman, Riley Ridley, George Pickens, Ladd McConkey, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. while coaching at Vandy, Georgia and LSU. Adding Parker scores another victory for the program after Ohio State lost 33 players to the portal this year, some of them no doubt influenced by Hartline’s departure.

Aside from the Buckeyes, Auburn was the other school in the running for Parker’s services as the third ranked wide receiver in the portal according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

The Buckeyes are seeking to rebound from a promising season that ended in heartbreaking after a one and done performance in the College Football Playoff. After an undefeated regular season and the Buckeyes’ sights set on the school's first ever back-to-back National Championships, Ohio State fell to Indiana in the Big Ten title game before fading against Miami in the quarterfinals of the CFP. Indiana will now face Miami for the national championship.