The Ohio State football program usually isn't one that loses a lot of players to the Transfer Portal. Over the last few years, the losses have been minimal. With this being the first year that there is just one portal window, that has changed the minds of a lot of players.
Because of there only being one window, the Ohio State Buckeyes have lost around two dozen players to the portal. It seems they lose a player every day as guys try to strong-arm the program into giving them raises. That's why they could end up losing another starter.
It seems that the Buckeyes have lost yet another player to the portal. What makes matters even worse is that they have lost a defensive lineman, which is an area they can't afford to lose depth. Eric Mensah has decided to enter the Transfer Portal after just two years with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State defensive lineman Eric Mensah enters the Transfer Portal
Mensah was a three-star recruit from the 2024 recruiting class. While the Buckeyes need some depth on the defensive line, Mensah's path to playing time wasn't very clear. He didn't play at all in 2024 and recorded just two tackles this season in mop-up duty.
Losing Mensah isn't the worst thing in the world. Surprisingly, the Buckeyes actually built some depth with the incoming recruiting class that they signed. Mensah was likely going to be a career backup with the Buckeyes, but it's not fun seeing them lose yet another player to the portal.
It would be nice if Ohio State could actually bring in some solid players. So far, they have only brought in one sure-fire starter for next year from the portal. Meanwhile, other programs are seeing how IU, Oregon, and Miami have built their teams and have used the portal to become better.
Ryan Day might need to shift his approach with how things are trending in college football.