When it was announced that Brian Hartline would be leaving the Ohio State football program to become a head coach for USF, it was seen as a move that could hurt the Buckeyes. He is the best recruiter in the country, stacking up wide receivers almost every single recruiting cycle.
Right after the Ohio State Buckeyes lost to Miami in the Cotton Bowl, four receivers decided to leave the program. Carnell Tate decided to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, as expected. Bryson Rodgers, Quincy Porter, and Mylan Graham then decided to enter the Transfer Portal.
While the Buckeyes were able to land a receiver in the portal to help replace that depth, they have now lost another receiver. Bogpegn Miller, a freshman from the class of 2025, has also decided to enter the portal. That means that the Buckeyes have now lost five receivers.
Ohio State football team seeing an exodus of receivers
Miller was in line to move up the depth chart with so many receivers hitting the portal, but he wasn't expected to get playing time next season. He was likely next in line for some mop-up duty against some bad teams, but he wasn't in line to get starter's snaps.
Ohio State was expecting to lose some receivers with the loss of Hartline. They certainly weren't expecting to lose this many receivers right after he left. That's especially true because they have hired a new receivers coach to take over Hartline's duties.
Perhaps the reason so many receivers have decided to leave is the fact that they still don't have an offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes have been very patient with this hire. With so many offensive players hitting the portal, there's an argument that it could be too patient.
Ryan Day now needs to add at least two more receivers from the portal to play alongside Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate next season. If he's not able to do so, they will have to rely on a lot of young, unproven receivers to step up.