It's hard to fathom, but spring football is almost here for Ohio State and head man Ryan Day. After a disappointing close to the 2025 season, the Buckeyes added a wild amount of talent via the transfer portal, with several guys ready to make an impact once Week 1 gets here.
The long list includes Alabama defensive tackle James Smith, who is going to be a force in the trenches for Day and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. This week, ESPN's Max Olson came out with his list of top transfer additions for Top 25 teams, and he didn't hesitate in making Smith his pick for OSU. Yup, Smith will enter the new campaign with high expectations for the Big Ten powerhouse.
New Ohio State DT James Smith will have high expectations for Ryan Day in 2026
"Smith, the No. 3 defensive tackle in ESPN's transfer rankings, joined the Crimson Tide as a top-25 recruit and moved into a starting role in 2025," Olson wrote in his piece. "The 6-3, 297-pound junior put together a good year with 28 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks on 398 snaps. Now he's taking over for Kayden McDonald, the Big Ten's Defensive Lineman of the Year, in a Buckeyes defense that has recruited four top-100 transfers in ESPN's rankings with the duo of Smith and Alabama edge Qua Russaw plus safeties Earl Little Jr. (Florida State) and Terry Moore (Duke)."
There's no way to sugarcoat things here for Alabama, as losing Smith to the portal is going to sting for Kalen DeBoer. However, Ohio State was able to make a strong recruiting pitch, signing him out of the portal over several other programs.
As Olson mentioned above, the 6-3, 297-pounder was a starter for DeBoer in 2025, finishing with 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He's now going to want to make even more of a splash in Year 1 with Ohio State, as the Buckeyes are already in CFP title or bust mode.
There are indeed plenty of exciting additions on both sides of the ball for Day and his staff, but guys like Smith are going to be called on to play at an elite level and help this team get over the brutal memory of losing to Indiana in the Big Ten title game and Miami in the College Football Playoff. Countless eyes will be on Smith next season and rightfully so.