Ohio State set to retain key talent after a number of underclassmen forego the NFL Draft

As is the case year after year, the Ohio State Buckeyes will lose a ton of talent to the NFL Draft. After all, Ohio State is only one of three schools to have surpassed the 500 total draftees in NFL Draft history with 501 -- 504 if you count supplemental drafts -- after last year’s school record tying 14.

This year, we should expect more of the same, with 11 key Buckeye seniors leaving the program along with five underclassmen who have declared early for the 2026 NFL Draft.

On the flipside, seven draft-eligible underclassmen are foregoing the chance to jump to the NFL and should become essential contributors during Ohio State’s 2026 campaign.

Five of those players have already committed to return to Columbus. The other two could still potentially enter the transfer portal before Friday’s deadline, but the cutoff date to declare for the NFL Draft passed on Wednesday, meaning they will return to the collegiate game, whether with the Buckeyes or with someone else.

The five players that have publicly stated they’ll return with the Buckeyes are wideout Brandon Inniss, left tackle Austin Siereveld, left guard Luke Montgomery, center Carson Hinzman and defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

Love this place and the people 🌰🌰 pic.twitter.com/w25MySqlQl
— Luke Montgomery (@lukeMonty8) January 13, 2026

Inniss will try to build upon his finest season to date with personal bests in receptions (36), yards (271) and touchdowns (three) playing behind Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. With Tate leaving for the NFL, Inniss will stay on board with Smith and highly touted five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr.

The offensive line will have a shot of some much needed continuity, with first-team All-American Hinzman, second-team All-American Montgomery and Siereveld confirming their return. Right tackle Phillip Daniels -- a transfer from Minnesota -- could add even more stability to that unit if he returns instead of heading back to the portal.

Finally, Ohio State’s vaunted defensive line will see one of its starters come back for another season in Jackson, who tallied 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss for the program in 2025. Defensive tackle Kaden McDonald will make the jump early, as he could sneak into the first round after a unanimous All-American season. Defensive end Cade Curry and defensive tackle Tywone Malone Jr. are among the seniors hopefuls for April’s event, with Curry currently being projected as a mid-round selection.

Besides Daniels, cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. is the other underclassman who let the deadline for becoming draft-eligible pass, so Ohio State is still waiting to see if he hits the transfer portal or not. ElevenWarriors.com has reported that both are expected to stay at Columbus, nonetheless.

Who else is going to the NFL Draft?

Safety Caleb Downs, linebacker Arvell Reese and tight end Max Klare are the other underclassmen who’ll join Tate and McDonald in Pittsburgh for the 2026 NFL Draft, with Downs and Reese widely regarded as Top-10 picks along with Tate.

Among the outgoing seniors, linebacker Sonny Styles projects as a likely first-rounder as well. Together with Curry and Malone, the other draft-hopeful seniors are cornerbackDavison Igbinosun, tight end Will Kacmarek, cornerback Lorenzo Styles Jr., running back CJ Donaldson, offensive lineman Ethan Onianwa, placekicker Jayden Fielding, long snapper John Ferlmann and quarterback Eli Brickhandler.

Regardless of the Buckeyes that are staying, Ohio State will also suffer a significant hemorrhage of talent via the transfer portal, where a school record 33 players have entered their names, including wideout Quincy Porter, offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola, wideout Mylan Graham, cornerback Aaron Scott Jr. and running back James Peoples.