What Ohio State Football’s Preseason Means for Buckeyes Transfer Portal Future

The preseason is winding down for Ohio State football, which has allowed the program to assess where it is headed in several areas ahead of the 2026 season.

One of those is the transfer portal. That said, the Buckeyes' transfer portal priorities are reportedly solid. According to 247Sports, the Buckeyes' portal class has 17 incoming transfers in Columbus this fall, which ranks 48th nationally, per On3.

In the spring, Ohio State on SI ranked each of the 17 transfer portal players based upon activity as a starter, experience and team contribution immediately. The No. 1 consensus was placekicker Connor Hawkins, who is replacing Jayden Fielding after Fielding's eligibility ended.

Coach Ryan Day has been vocal in years past about how the portal has positively impacted his program.

Ryan Day Embraces Ohio State's Transfer Portal Efforts

Ryan Day during fall camp — Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day watches during football training camp inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus on Aug. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"If you want to feel insignificant, watch that because it talks about how the dinosaurs were on Earth like 250 million years ago," Day said in April, per CBS Sports. "Over that time, the world changed, the climate changed, the earth changed. Some dinosaurs figured out how to continue to adapt, and some died. I guess that's a little extreme, but I think it's kind of the way it is in college football."

Day said that as much flak as the portal system gets, it's a necessity for college football's evolution.

A prime example is junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, as rumblings surfaced in the off-season of a potential pivot to Miami (Fla.), as it dispatched the Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl last season. But Smith decided to remain in Columbus, while chasing a potential second national title and a possible Heisman Trophy.

"I wasn't surprised," Smith said. "I knew, especially at the end of that game, that a certain program was going to come at me very hard. Not gonna say names -- I think everybody knows who it was. But I wasn't going anywhere."

Day previously told ESPN why the transfer portal could use some key changes, starting with the January timeline.

"I know the calendar is funky, but I know the Big Ten and [commissioner] Tony Petitti have been working hard, because he doesn't believe it either," Day said. "The coaches in the Big Ten, we've had a lot of long discussions about that and tried to work through the different windows, but I don't agree with it being in January."

Nonetheless, the Buckeyes will keep building toward immediate and future success, no matter the challenges they face.

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