Transfer Tracker: Breaking down Buckeyes portal moves, philosophy in spring window

COLUMBUS — The inaugural spring transfer window is over. It ran from April 15 to 30. Ohio State saw four of its scholarship players enter the portal during that span while adding two others.

Lettermen Row has the rundown.

Ohio State players in the transfer portal

Below is a running list of Ohio State players in the Transfer Portal:

Fourth-year place kicker Jake Seibert: Seibert saw limited action in his three seasons as a backup kicker at Ohio State. Most notably, Seibert kicked a field goal for the Buckeyes in their national title game loss to Alabama during the COVID-19 shortened season. He made 16 extra points that year, his freshman season. But Seibert lost the kicking battle to Noah Ruggles, a UNC transfer, ahead of the 2021 season. Following Ruggles’ graduation, Seibert was once again in play for the starting job this offseason. Except, during the spring game, he wasn’t one of the two Ohio State kickers to attempt a field goal. Seibert was originally the No. 2 overall kicker in the 2020 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

READ: Ohio State kicker Jake Seibert enters transfer portal

Second-year wide receiver Caleb Burton: Burton spent just two spring practice periods and one full season with the Buckeyes. He was a four-star prospect from Del Valle, Texas, where he became the No. 160 overall player in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Burton was ranked the 28th-best receiver that cycle. Because of injury struggles, he didn’t appear in a game last season. Now, he’s looking for a new spot to jumpstart his college career.

READ: Buckeyes wide receiver Caleb Burton enters transfer portal

ANALYSIS: What Caleb Burton entering transfer portal means for Ohio State

Third-year offensive lineman Ben Christman: Christman shed his black stripe in November 2021, nearly three months into his true freshman season, which he wound up redshirting. He played just nine offensive snaps with the Buckeyes, all last season in garbage time of a blowout win against Indiana on Nov. 12. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Akron native was a four-star prospect at Revere High School, in Richfield, Ohio. He was the No. 8 interior offensive lineman in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

READ: Buckeyes OL Ben Christman enters transfer portal

ANALYSIS: What Ben Christman entering transfer portal means for Buckeyes

Second-year wide receiver Kaleb Brown: Like Burton, Brown is another Class of 2022 wideout who decided to hit the portal after a short stay in Columbus. Brown didn’t see the field much last season but was making strides this spring and was even in the running for the starting punt returner position. He was a four-star recruit coming out of St. Rita High School in Chicago. It was there that he emerged as the No. 20 wide receiver in the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Brown and Burton were part of a four-man wideout class, half of which is now in the portal.

READ: Buckeyes wide receiver Kaleb Brown enters transfer portal

ANALYSIS: What Kaleb Brown entering transfer portal means for Buckeyes

Ohio State spring additions via transfer portal

Third-year athlete Lorenzo Styles Jr. (Notre Dame): Styles is the son of former Buckeyes linebacker Lorenzo Styles and the older brother of current Ohio State safety Sonny Styles. He was a four-star recruit coming out of Pickerington Central High School and chose Notre Dame over Ohio State. Styles played wide receiver for the Fighting Irish in 2021 and 2022, piling up a combined 54 receptions for 684 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This offseason, however, he made the switch to defensive back, which Ohio State originally wanted him to play. Now, he’s expected to play corner with the Buckeyes.

READ: Former Notre Dame athlete Lorenzo Styles Jr. commits to Ohio State

ANALYSIS: What commitment of transfer defensive back Lorenzo Styles Jr. means for Buckeyes

Third-year offensive tackle Josh Simmons (San Diego State): Ohio State had been looking for an offensive tackle in the portal after a shaky spring season up front, where the Buckeyes have to replace three starters, all of whom were drafted into the NFL. The Buckeyes added Josh Simmons, who started at right tackle for San Diego State last season as a redshirt freshman. Simmons — a La Mesa, California, native was a four-star prospect at Helix High School and the No. 24 interior offensive lineman in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Back then, he was offered by now-Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye when Frye was coaching at UCLA.

READ: San Diego State transfer OT Josh Simmons commits to Ohio State

ANALYSIS: What commitment of transfer offensive tackle Josh Simmons means for Buckeyes

Ohio State transfer portal philosophy

Ohio State, historically, hasn’t been very active in the transfer portal. Head coach Ryan Day has wanted to build the program through high school recruiting. After all, the program has the pedigree and resources to do that effectively, and Day has followed suit with a top-five recruiting class every year he’s been at the helm.

It’s not that Day has neglected the portal. In fact, it was quarterback Justin Fields and running back Trey Sermon, transfers from Georgia and Oklahoma respectively, who helped the Buckeyes reach the national title game during the 2020 season. It’s just that Day and his staff are highly selective in the portal.

That said, while the Buckeyes are still looking for culture fits, they have been more willing to pull in transfers this offseason. Ohio State brought aboard six scholarship players in the first window: Syracuse safety Ja’Had Carter, Ole Miss cornerback Davison Igbinosun, Oregon State quarterback Tristan Gebbia, Louisiana-Monroe offensive lineman Victor Cutler Jr., Arizona State long snapper John Ferlmann and Kent State kicker Casey Magyar.

Then the Buckeyes added two more players in the second window: Notre Dame athlete Lorenzo Styles Jr. and San Diego State offensive lineman Josh Simmons.

The Transfer Portal Windows

The NCAA transfer portal’s newest rules allow 60 days per year for student-athletes to enter the portal and maintain immediate eligibility for first-time transfers. For fall sports like football, the window is split into two periods. The first, a 45-day period, began Dec. 5. It closed on Jan. 19.

A second window was in play from April 15-30, giving players an option to enter the transfer portal after spring practice concludes.

On3 Transfer Portal Homepage

The Transfer Portal Wire

The Transfer Portal News Feed

Transfer Portal Guidelines

The NCAA transfer portal, which covers every NCAA sport at the Division I, II and III levels, is a private database with names of student-athletes who wish to transfer. It is not accessible to the public.

Once a player’s name shows up in the portal, other schools can contact the player. Players can change their minds at any point and withdraw from the portal. However, once a player enters the portal, the current scholarship no longer has to be honored. In other words, if a player enters the portal but decides to stay, the school is not obligated to provide a scholarship anymore.

The database is a normal database, sortable by a variety of topics, including (of course) sport and name. A player’s individual entry includes basic details such as contact info, whether the player was on scholarship and whether the player is transferring as a graduate student.

A player can ask that a “do not contact” tag be placed on the report. In those instances, the players don’t want to be contacted by schools unless they’ve initiated the communication.