Ohio State Buckeyes that may consider transferring

A week removed from a dominating National Championship victory and the Ohio State faithful have already moved on to discussing next season. It is sad that we cannot take more time to treasure one of the most historic wins in college football history, but that is a discussion for another day.

At the top of the discussion list for most Buckeye fans is what will happen to the quarterback situation and a common theme that is being passed around is the assumption that two time Big Ten Offensive MVP, Braxton Miller will be transferring to finish his collegiate career. Fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes are accustomed to some players leaving, last season highly touted freshman linebacker Mike Mitchell made the decision to move back home to Texas Tech.

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Even though Miller is making all of the headlines there will no doubt be a few other players making big decisions regarding their future enrollment. The championship they just won will most likely sooth a few guys, but most student-athletes really want to express the “athlete” part and will look elsewhere if they see an opportunity to play. This list will highlight the five guys that might consider making a move.

1. Braxton Miller, QB: As stated above Miller is a no-brainer for this list and he is regarded as one of the best college “free agents” available, because of his explosive athleticism and game-changing ability. With J.T. Barrett having a Heisman caliber season and Cardale Jones leading the team to their National Championship victory there is a gigantic possibility that Miller will be the odd man out.

The smart thing for Miller’s draft stock would be to stay a Buckeye, but become more of an offensive weapon that would both carry and catch the football. His draft stock as a possible quarterback has dwindled considerably since his injury. Miller will have to make the Denard Robinson transition and if he stayed he could make that transition quicker. There will be plenty of schools willing to hand Miller their starting quarterback job if he transfers.

Nov 1, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Dontre Wilson (2) catches a pass for a touchdown while being defended by Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Taylor Barton (3 )during the third quarter at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

2. Dontre Wilson, WR: Very few players come in to college with the hype that Wilson did and throughout his freshman campaign fans were delighted to see glimpses of his elite athleticism. Entering his sophomore season Wilson was seen as one of the better offensive weapons, but he failed to display his skills on a consistent basis and eventually suffered a broken right foot injury against Michigan State.

There is zero doubt that Wilson is a dynamic enough athlete to make an impact for the Ohio State Buckeyes, but players like Jalin Marshall, Curtis Samuel, and Corey Smith were cutting into Wilson’s touches before the injury. While Wilson was trying to heal, these same players were getting better and playing more consistent. There is a constant battle for touches in Columbus and if Wilson wants to stay he will have to compete even harder than before.

Wilson loves Texas and he has the ink on his body to prove that. He is a family oriented person and it would not be surprising to see him bolt somewhere closer to home. A place like Baylor would welcome him with open arms and he would see opportunities to touch the football early and often.

3 & 4. Bri’onte Dunn & Warren Ball, RB: Many Buckeye fans do not even recognize the name Warren Ball and if not for a few garbage time carries, Bri’onte Dunn would be forgotten as well. Both of these runners came into Ohio State as highly recruited four star players and even though they were largely recruited by Luke Fickell and Jim Tressel they were considered skilled enough to be major factors for Urban Meyer.

During Dunn’s senior year of high school he took an official visit to Michigan and there were rumors that he was having doubts about his fit in Meyer’s offense, these doubts were correct. These two players have plenty of skill and ability to make an impact, but with Ezekiell Elliott emerging as one of the country’s most dangerous work horses their opportunities in Columbus have vanished. Both Ball and Dunn are Ohio natives and they could be obvious fits at MAC schools such as Akron or Bowling Green.

5. Trey Johnson, LB: The last player I want to highlight is on the defensive side of the ball. Trey Johnson was a highly recruited four star Under Armour All- American and he has yet to see meaningful time for the scarlet and grey. He is too good to sit on the bench, but Darron Lee, Raekwon McMillan, and Joshua Perry seam to be the linebackers of choice for next season.

Johnson was a stud from Georgia and it would not be unreasonable to see him transfer somewhere in SEC country. Ole Miss comes to mind when trying to find a good fit for him, there are also a variety of Sun Belt schools that would open their arms rather quickly to the former high school standout.