The dust hasn't even settled on the 2025 season, but the Woody Hayes Athletic Center is already a revolving door. Honestly, if you blinked over the last 48 hours, you probably missed three starters leaving and two more arriving. That is just the reality of Buckeyes football news today. We are living in an era where the "offseason" is actually the most chaotic part of the calendar.
Following a frustrating 24-14 loss to Miami in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve, Ryan Day hasn’t just been licking his wounds. He’s been surgical.
The biggest headline hitting the wires right now? The transfer portal officially closed its primary window yesterday, January 17, and the final tally for Ohio State is staggering. We are talking about 31 players out and 16 players in. That is nearly half the scholarship roster flipping in a single cycle. It’s enough to give any fan whiplash, but there is a method to the madness that people are starting to notice.
The Kicking Crisis is Officially Over (We Hope)
Let’s talk about the move that actually matters for your blood pressure on Saturdays. Ohio State just landed Baylor transfer Connor Hawkins.
If you watched the 2025 season, you know why this is a massive deal. Jayden Fielding is gone. Jackson Courville bolted for Tulane. The Buckeyes literally didn't have a scholarship kicker on the roster until Hawkins signed his papers on Wednesday.
Hawkins is a weapon. He was a perfect 37-for-37 on extra points at Baylor and hit 18 of 22 field goals. Most importantly? The kid has a cannon. He nailed a 54-yarder last year and went 3-of-4 from beyond 50 yards. For context, Ohio State hasn't had a kicker reliably hit from 50+ since the 2019 season. It sounds like a small detail, but in a 2026 schedule that features a road trip to Austin to play Texas in Week 2, those three points are the difference between a playoff bye and a long flight home.
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Breaking Down the "Great Receiver Migration"
People are panicking about the wide receiver room, and honestly, I get it. Brian Hartline leaving to take the head coaching job at South Florida felt like a glitch in the Matrix. He was the soul of that unit.
When Hartline left, the portal opened up like a floodgate. Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter—two guys everyone expected to be the "next ones"—both headed to Notre Dame. Bryson Rodgers is following Hartline to USF. It felt like the room was emptying out.
But then, Ryan Day went and hired Cortez Hankton from LSU.
Hankton is probably the only guy in the country who could step into Hartline's shoes without a total revolt. He developed Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. at LSU. He coached George Pickens at Georgia. The guy knows what a Sunday receiver looks like.
To help him out, the Buckeyes poached Kyle Parker from LSU and Devin McCuin from UTSA. McCuin is a burner—4.37 speed. While the room is younger, Jeremiah Smith is still the centerpiece. If you've been following Buckeyes football news today, you know Smith is essentially the recruiting coordinator now, too. He was the one who personally made sure five-star Chris Henry Jr. didn't flip his commitment when Hartline left.
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The Defensive Foundation Stays Put
While the offense is a puzzle of new faces, the defense actually got some "staying home" news that outweighs the portal gains.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. announced he's returning for 2026.
That is massive. Most scouts had him as a potential late first-round pick if he left now. Instead, he’s coming back to wear No. 2—the Chase Young number. He’ll be paired with Qua Russaw, a heavy-hitting transfer from Alabama who just arrived.
The secondary is a bit of a different story. Losing Aaron Scott Jr. to Oregon stung. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. Seeing a home-grown Ohio kid head to a Big Ten rival in Eugene is a tough pill to swallow. However, the Buckeyes countered by bringing in Dominick Kelly from Georgia and Terry Moore from Duke.
That 2026 Schedule is a Gauntlet
We need to talk about what this new-look roster is actually walking into. The 2026 schedule is not the "cupcake" starts we've seen in the past.
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- September 2: Home opener against a MAC opponent (likely Ball State).
- September 9: At Texas.
- October: The trip to Ann Arbor.
Yes, the Michigan game is back in October for 2026. It feels wrong, but that's the new Big Ten world. The Buckeyes also have road games against Nebraska, Iowa, and USC.
There is a lot of talk about the offensive coordinator spot right now too. With Hartline gone, Day is looking for a "CEO of the Offense." Names like former Giants coach Brian Daboll and Ravens OC Todd Monken are being whispered in Columbus circles. Day wants to step back and manage the game more, especially with the 12-team (and potentially 14-team) playoff era making every mid-season decision more critical.
Why This Matters Right Now
The "old" way of building a roster—recruiting a kid at 17 and watching him grow for four years—is mostly dead. Ohio State is now operating like an NFL franchise with a salary cap (NIL) and a free agency period (the portal).
The loss of 31 players sounds like a disaster, but look at who left. A lot of those guys were buried on the depth chart or hadn't seen the field in two years. Justin Terry, an offensive lineman who just committed to Virginia Tech, played 57 snaps all last year. Cody Haddad didn't play at all.
By clearing that space, Day has been able to bring in 16 guys who are expected to play immediately.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season:
- Watch the Left Side: Austin Siereveld returning at left tackle is the most underrated news of the week. He provides the veteran stability needed for Julian Sayin (the projected starting QB) to actually go through his progressions.
- Special Teams Focus: Keep an eye on the spring game for Connor Hawkins. If he's as accurate as his Baylor tape suggests, the Buckeyes' scoring zone just expanded by 10 yards.
- The "Hankton Effect": Pay attention to how the route running changes under Cortez Hankton. LSU's receivers were known for their verticality and "pro" releases, which might be a slight shift from the Hartline era's focus on pure technical footwork.
The roster is basically set as of this morning. Now, it’s about the coaching hires and whether this "all-in" portal strategy can actually get the Buckeyes past the quarterfinal hump next January.
Check back for updates on the offensive coordinator search, as that hire is expected within the next 48 to 72 hours.