The Ohio State Buckeyes are being discussed as a football program in need of needing to pivot to next year in the second week of November. That's how disastrous the last few weeks have been for the team.
Bucknuts' Patrick Murphy named four different first-year veteran Buckeye transfers who may need to sit out the rest of the 2026 season for the benefit of the program: safety Earl Little Jr., linebacker Christian Alliegro, receiver Devin McCuin, and tight end/H-back Mason Williams.
"The Buckeyes do have veterans who haven't been with the program throughout their careers. Players such as Earl Little Jr., Christian Alliegro, Devin McCuin and Mason Williams arrived this offseason. While they have contributed this season, they don't have the same "pride in this place" as those who have bled scarlet and gray for four or five years," Murphy wrote.
"Perhaps reducing snaps for some transfers could be a way to create more opportunities for young players. This would not only give Ohio State a better sense of what the team has at each position heading into the offseason, but also show those players there is a path to playing time, so the Buckeyes don't face a mass exodus like they did last winter."
It's not that it hasn't happened for these players this season. The Wisconsin transfer Alliegro was not a quick study, but he broke out during the Illinois win. The UTSA transfer McCuin even just had his best game during the Oregon Loss: nine receptions for 84 yards.
Still, the current mix isn't working well enough. The veteran group that was supposed to be a quick fix hasn't been win-now enough.
It may be worth seeing who fits in Matt Patricia's defense and Arthur Smith's offense for next year, assuming those two even get another chance in Columbus for the 2027 season.
Even if some of these players may be auditioning for other teams, it's still worth giving them snaps over guys who are better off preserving their bodies for whatever comes next in their careers.
Ohio State football's grand transfer portal experiment failed in 2026
The 2026 season was a major prove-it year for Ryan Day, using the transfer portal to replenish key depth. As it turns out, Day and his coaching staff were not truly up to the challenge during this past January window.
Does this mean the portal will be less valued at OSU? Absolutely not. The 2024/2025 CFP championship was won in large part because of Kansas State transfer quarterback Will Howard, Ole Miss transfer running back Quinshon Judkins, Alabama transfer interior offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin, safety Caleb Downs, and Ohio transfer tight end Will Kacmarek.
Moving forward, though, you do have to wonder if the current coaching staff knows how to deal with the portal in a manner conducive to winning championships. Losing starting quarterback Julian Sayin shouldn't have destroyed the program like this. Maybe a veteran portal quarterback should've been a bigger priority behind Sayin.
The Buckeyes are supposed to be able to weather these storms. By any means necessary, a coaching staff that can build better depth must have this program in a better place by this time next year.
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