Ohio State picks up commitments from a pair of tight ends

Two big pickups in this cycle coming from a Northeast Ohio guy, and a graduate student from the Big Ten.

Sep 27, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats tight end Hunter Welcing (84) catches a pass against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

While the transfer portal period for Ohio State did not start off well, with the loss of a significant amount of wide receiver talent and young players, it has recently been picking up. 

The Buckeyes have landed commitments from a pair of talented safeties in Earl Little Jr., who was the third-ranked safety in the portal, Terry Moore from Duke, and also added more quarterback depth in Justyn Martin from Maryland.

Now, on the offensive side, they have recently started landing some pledges from pass catchers like Devin McCuin from UTSA, and very recently, they have landed two tight ends in the portal.

Mason Williams

First from Ohio University, Mason Williams, Williams is a redshirt Junior from Mogadore, Ohio, where he was a dominant athlete in high school. Williams suffered an injury in his freshman year at Ohio, but he bounced back well the past two seasons he racking up 487 receiving yards and five touchdowns. 

Williams is an experienced run-blocker from high school on where Mogadore relied heavily on running the ball, with Williams also running the ball in the wildcat a good amount. In his time in high school, he ran the ball 246 times for 1,985 yards and was named to first-team All-State.

Hunter Welcing

Today, the Bucks landed another commitment from graduate student Hunter Welcing from Northwestern. Welcing is ranked as the top 25 tight end in the portal this cycle, he was also named as an All-Big Ten Honorable mention this past season. Welcing’s best game this season came against Michigan, where he caught four passes for 81 yards. 

With the uncertainty of Max Klare’s future with the Buckeyes, it is always good to get some depth and experience in the portal. The possibility of Klare staying with the Bucks is also there, as the two new additions are blocking tight ends with not much receiving upside. 

For the next couple of days, the main focus for Ohio State will be bringing in talent on both lines. The offensive line has been losing key pieces, along with the defensive line, with lots of talent going to the NFL Draft and transfer portal. 

Along with the possibility of more wide receiver talent with the exodus that has been happening in that room. But that’s what happens when the talent level ahead of young guys is high; it is unfortunate that some of these guys do not stay more than a year, though.