Transfer tracker: Breaking down Buckeyes moves, philosophy in transfer portal

COLUMBUS — Ohio State shifted its transfer portal philosophy a bit last season.

After rarely ever dipping into the portal prior to last offseason, the Buckeyes went in and grabbed a few starters, a few depth pieces and a couple of future contributors from the portal. They also lost multiple players to the portal.

Expect to see a similar strategy this time around, as well. The Buckeyes will pick their spots, but they’ll be aggressive when they need to be in the portal during the coming few weeks when the transfer portal opens.

So while Ohio State is keeping its eye out for potential difference-makers that are also fits in the program, Lettermen Row and On3 will have you covered with every piece of news while the portal is open.

This story will be updated with transfer portal offers from Ohio State, the list of Buckeyes players in the portal, thoughts from Ryan Day and more.

To track all of the action in the portal for teams across college football, you can click the links below.

On3 Transfer Portal Homepage

The Transfer Portal Wire

The Transfer Portal News Feed

Ohio State players in the Transfer Portal

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

Second-year defensive end Omari Abor: Ohio State landed Abor out of Duncanville High School as part of its loaded 2022 recruiting class. Abor was a top-80 player nationally in his recruiting class. But after an injury setback in his first season, Abor had trouble catching up to the others ahead of him on the depth chart. Now he will be entering the transfer portal to find his next collegiate stop, and he’ll have three years to make an impact wherever he lands.

READ: Buckeyes defensive end Omari Abor plans to enter transfer portal

Omari Abor committed to SMU on Dec. 19.

Fourth-year defensive back Cameron Martinez: Martinez, a former prep quarterback at Muskegon High School in Muskegon, Michigan, committed to Ohio State to play for Jeff Hafley but went through three defensive backs coaches in four years. The constant flux of voices and changing schemes made it difficult for Martinez to settle in at one specific position for the Buckeyes. He took first-team reps at the nickel safety and nickel cornerback role during spring practice, but training camp saw him slip down the depth chart.

READ: Buckeyes defensive back Cameron Martinez plans to enter transfer portal

Cameron Martinez committed to Boston College on Dec. 23

Graduate center Victor Cutler Jr.: Ohio State backup center Victor Cutler Jr. entered the transfer portal after just one year with the program. Cutler was the second option to redshirt freshman Carson Hinzman. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman transferred to Ohio State from Louisiana-Monroe last winter. At ULM, Cutler started 21 games and appeared in 29 contests over the last three seasons — at three positions.

READ: Ohio State center Victor Cutler Jr. hits transfer portal

Victor Cutler Jr. committed to Louisville on Dec. 17.

Third-year running back Evan Pryor: Pryor committed to Ohio State as part of the loaded 2021 recruiting class. He was the No. 92 overall player in his class, and he was the No. 6 running back. Pryor was on the cusp of breaking out in the spring and offseason of 2022 before a bad knee injury sidelined him for an entire season. He came back healthy this offseason but couldn’t quite get back to the same level he was previously at.

READ: Buckeyes tailback Evan Pryor set to enter transfer portal

Evan Pryor committed to Cincinnati on Dec. 13.

Second-year defensive back Ryan Turner: Turner, who starred at Chaminade-Modonna Prep High School in Hollywood, Florida, before coming to Ohio State, originally committed to the Buckeyes as part of the 2022 recruiting class. But the Buckeyes had other talented defensive backs on the depth chart ahead of him for the last two years, making it tough to find a role on the field.

READ: Buckeyes cornerback Ryan Turner plans to enter transfer portal

Ryan Turner committed to Boston College on Dec. 15.

Graduate kicker Parker Lewis: Ohio State landed Lewis out of the transfer portal from USC for the 2022 season, but he never won the starting kicker job. He’ll have a year remaining to find a home.

READ: Kicker Parker Lewis hits transfer portal again after two seasons at Ohio State

Second-year defensive back Jyaire Brown: The Lakota West High School (Cincinnati) product played 195 defensive snaps in 2022, the most of any Buckeyes true freshman that season, but he saw the field for only 48 defensive snaps in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus. True freshman Jermaine Mathews Jr. was the first cornerback off the bench when Denzel Burke went down at Purdue, not Brown.

READ: Ohio State cornerback Jyaire Brown headed to transfer portal

Second-year defensive back Kye Stokes: Ohio State landed a commitment from Stokes in May 2021 when he was a little-known three-star prospect from Seffner, Florida. The Armwood High School standout was the No. 287 player in the country, No. 27 safety and No. 33 player in the state of Florida in the class of 2022, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

READ: Buckeyes safety Kye Stokes enters transfer portal

Kye Stokes committed to Cincinnati on Dec. 16.

Starting quarterback Kyle McCord: McCord, a former five-star prospect, won the starting quarterback job over Devin Brown last offseason in a battle that went into Week 3 of the regular season. He had a good season for the Buckeyes, throwing for 3,170 yards while posting a 24:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Most notably, he orchestrated a memorable game-winning drive at then-No. 9 Notre Dame with 86 seconds remaining and a signature 3rd-and-19 throw in the chamber.

But he didn’t play to the Ohio State standard at times, leading Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day to decline committing to a second year of a McCord-led offense on Sunday afternoon.

READ: Impact of Kyle McCord entering transfer portal

Kyle McCord committed to Syracuse on Dec. 17.

Starting wide receiver Julian Fleming: Fleming committed to the Buckeyes as the No. 3 overall prospect and top wide receiver in the 2020 class. He was Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 and a finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year award. Fleming never quite had the stats to show for that recruiting prowess at Ohio State, but that’s not to say he didn’t make an impact — he started two seasons for the Buckeyes, emerged as their best perimeter blocker and reeled in clutch receptions throughout his time in scarlet and gray. His best season came in 2022 when he piled up 34 grabs for 533 yards and six touchdowns.

READ: Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming enters transfer portal

Third-year linebacker Reid Carrico: Carrico committed to Ohio State as the No. 88 overall player in the country for the class of 2021. He was the No. 9 linebacker and No. 5 player in the state of Ohio for his class. But in three seasons with the Buckeyes, Carrico had a hard time carving out any role that was beyond special teams.

READ: Buckeyes linebacker Reid Carrico enters transfer portal

Reid Carrico committed to West Virginia on Dec. 19.

Fourth-year center Jakob James: A former three-star prospect from Cincinnati Elder High School, James committed to Ohio State as the No. 911 prospect in the country for the class of 2020. He was the No. 91 offensive tackle and No. 32 player in the state of Ohio. James sat behind starting center Luke Wypler for two seasons before the center job opened back up, but an offseason procedure kept him out of the starting center competition last offseason, clearing the way for second-year center Carson Hinzman to take over that role.

READ: Buckeyes center Jakob James enters transfer portal

Fourth-year running back Chip Trayanum: Chip Trayanum started his career as an Arizona State linebacker before moving over to running back once he transferred to Ohio State. A former four-star prospect, Trayanum originally went to Arizona State from Akron Archbishop Hoban here in Ohio. But once he transferred to the Buckeyes, he went back to running back and had an unforgettable, all-time Buckeyes moment. Trayanum had the game-winning 1-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the win over Notre Dame back in September.

READ: Buckeyes running back Chip Trayanum enters transfer portal

Trayanum committed to Kentucky on Dec. 12.

Fourth-year tight end Joe Royer: Royer scattered just 44 offensive snaps across four games this season, only one of which was after Week 4. As was the case in 2022, injury trouble limited Royer this year. He was the No. 395 overall prospect, the No. 13 tight end and the No. 7 Ohio recruit in the 2020 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

READ: Ohio State tight end Joe Royer enters transfer portal

Ohio State Transfer Portal Additions

Check back when Ohio State lands a commitment from the transfer portal.

Ohio State Transfer Portal Offers

Below is a running list of offers the Buckeyes have handed out in the Transfer Portal:

Middle Tennessee defensive tackle Marley Cook: The 6-foot-2, 298-pound defensive lineman from Middle Tennessee has been with the Blue Raiders since 2019. He is originally from Water Valley, Mississippi, choosing to head north to Middle Tennessee. He was named honorable mention All-Conference USA in 2022 and was even better this year as a redshirt junior. Cook had 22 total tackles, six tackles for loss, a sack, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble this season. He played his best game when he had three tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in the season opener against Alabama. With 27 career starts, he has a year of eligibility remaining.

Marley is visiting Ohio State on Dec. 15.

Cal linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr: The former four-star prospect from Moreau Catholic High School (Hayward, California) redshirted for the Golden Bears in 2021 before playing in nine games in 2022. As a starter for Cal this season, Elarms-Orr recorded 92 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, an interception, six passes defended, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 11 games played. He entered the transfer portal on the first day it opened last week.

Elarms-Orr will visit Ohio State on Dec. 15.

The Transfer Portal Windows

The NCAA Transfer Portal’s newest rules will allow 45 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 will be split into two periods. The first, a 30-day period, begins Dec. 4. It will close on Jan. 2.

A second window will be instituted from April 16-30, giving players an option to enter the transfer portal after spring practice concludes. 

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.