Ohio State RB Dallan Hayden plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal

Ohio State running back Dallan Hayden plans to enter the transfer portal when the spring window opens, per On3’s Pete Nakos. Hayden spent two seasons with the Buckeyes.

In the 2023 campaign, Hayden made three appearances, tallying 19 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown. In his true freshman season, Hayden played in 10 games, amassing 111 carries for 553 yards and five touchdowns.

Hayden was facing another loaded running back unit next season. Ohio State returned standout running back TreVeyon Henderson while also adding former Ole Miss star Quinshon Judkins in the transfer portal.

There are only so many snaps per game. Despite Hayden’s decision, he seemed confident in his future with the program just last week.

“I’m very confident,” Hayden said when asked about his confidence that he would earn a bigger role this year. “I know what I had to work on and I focused on that the whole offseason. And I feel like I’m doing better with those areas. So I’m very confident.”

Dallan Hayden played high school football at Christian Brothers (TN), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 246 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Hayden is the son of former Tennessee and NFL RB Aaron Hayden, but is not expected to join the Volunteers. He will be the 21st player from Ohio State to enter the transfer portal this offseason. With six incoming transfers, Ohio State is ranked No. 23 in On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings.

A wild offseason for Ohio State

The transfer portal is only a slice of the madness that has surrounded Ohio State this spring. The team also hired former UCLA head coach Chip Kelly to the Buckeyes’ next offensive coordinator. Head coach Ryan Day has done his best to embrace the chaos.

“That’s just part of the job is adapting and trying not to overthink it all or [get] caught off guard. You try to do the best you can do, plan ahead and have contingency plans in place and do what’s right,” Day explained. “But at the same time, you have to adapt to what you got and I think we’ve done that. I think we’ve been aggressive but I also think we’ve done what’s right.

“That’s the job, and you don’t know what it’s going to be, but to think that you’re just going to have a normal offseason that’s cool, calm, and easy waters. That’s just not going to work, it’s not going to happen at Ohio State.”