The Ohio State football program has done a good job of navigating the Transfer Portal under Ryan Day. He really has only had one stinker, and that was Ethan Onianwa last season. Other than that mistake, Day has done a good job of evaluating talent.
When the portal opened after last season, Chaz Coleman was immediately linked to the Buckeyes. He is a Warren, Ohio native, and was expected to be a shoo-in for the Buckeyes. After James Franklin was fired at Penn State, Coleman was looking for a new place to play.
Suddenly, Coleman seemed to take a bigger NIL deal in order to head to Tennessee. Since that move, it looks like Coleman is having a lot of regrets. He hasn't really practiced with the Vols much and has not appeared at all in OTAs. Now, things have gotten even uglier.
Ohio State is glad to be out of the Chaz Coleman business
According to Pete Nakos of On3, the situation is getting worse. Coleman has yet to report to the Volunteers for offseason workouts, and his future with the program is now unclear. He might not play a single down for the team after signing a massive NIL deal to play in Knoxville.
The Ohio State Buckeyes dodged a bullet by not bringing Coleman in. Not only would he have been a massive distraction, but he would have been an expensive mistake. Instead, Ohio State brought in three other defensive linemen who are plenty talented and can help them up front.
Some Ohio State fans have been wondering if they would end up getting Coleman if he entered the portal again after this season. After everything that has transpired, there is no chance that the Buckeyes come anywhere near letting that happen. The distraction that would bring is not something they need.
The Ohio State football program has continues to be a favorite to win it all
Despite Ohio State having a much tougher schedule this season, they should still be considered one of the favorites to win it all. The Buckeyes have perhaps the best receiver in college football again in Jeremiah Smith, as well as Julian Sayin in his second season as a quarterback.
Defensively, having Matt Patricia back gives them a chance to be an elite unit again. Even though they lost four first-round picks on that side of the ball, Patricia's scheme proved to be good enough to plug-and-play with a lot of talent. It should still be a solid unit all year long.
Adding Coleman would not have made much of a difference to the defense, even if he is talented. It seems that he only cares about the money he signed for instead of actually playing. His future at the Power 4 level of college football is extremely rocky at this point.
Day is not worried about him or what he's doing at Tennessee. He's focused on making sure Arthur Smith's offensive system can help the Buckeyes win a national championship.
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