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Ohio State Football: DB Transfer Would Bring Scholarship Total to 85

By Charlie Lockhart

Apr 16, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of an Ohio State football helmet on the sidelines during the Ohio State Spring Game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 16, 2016; Columbus, OH, USA; A general view of an Ohio State football helmet on the sidelines during the Ohio State Spring Game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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With another player transferring, Ohio State will be down to 85 scholarship players.

Defensive back Joshua Norwood is expected to transfer from Ohio State according to Tim May of the Columbus Dispatch. His transfer would bring Ohio State down to 85 scholarship players, the maximum limit allowed under NCAA rules.

Norwood is from Valdosta, GA and was a member of the 2015 Ohio State recruiting class. He was rated as a 3 star recruit, the No. 49 corner and the No. 498 player in the country coming out of high school according to the 247Sports Composite.

In my most recent article, assessing players in the 2015 recruiting class, I mentioned Norwood was in a tough battle for playing time. After all, there are defensive backs in front of him on the depth chart, and the talented group in the 2017 recruiting class who have already made their presence known.

I thought Norwood was going to have a hard time getting on the field except for on special teams. You really can’t blame him for looking to play at another school where he will have a better opportunity.

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That makes five players from the 2015 class who have moved on for various reasons. There are currently 21 of the 26 players still on the Buckeye roster.

That’s a retention rate of over 80 percent which is high for a recruiting class going into their third year of a program. As I have written before, that is often the jumping off point for a player who doesn’t see much of a future in a particular program.

They will still have two years of eligibility at another FBS school after sitting out for a season. Or they can take the FCS route and play three years.

Next: Should You Judge a Class After Their Third Year?

There still could be another player or two leave the football program before the start of next season, if I’m reading the tea leaves correctly.

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