The Ohio State football program was able to use the Spring transfer portal to bring in a couple of nice pieces. Beau Atkinson, a defensive end from North Carolina, was the most significant piece. He is someone who brings a proven pass rush pedigree to the team.
Now that the Spring transfer portal has closed, we can assess what the roster will look like this Fall. We will give you three predictions for what the depth chart will look like when the Ohio State Buckeyes start the season against Texas in the Shoe on Week 1.
1. Julian Sayin will win the starting QB job
This is what it looked like even before the Spring, but Julian Sayin should win the starting quarterback job in the Fall. Lincoln Kienholz has certainly closed the gap that existed before the Spring, but it would still be surprising if he were the one who took the job.
Sayin's talent is just too great, even if he is a little on the shorter side. He has some great weapons to throw the ball to, including the number one tight end to come from the transfer portal. Max Klare should certainly help a first-time starting QB.
2. Austin Siereveld will win the starting right tackle job
It seems that the Buckeyes want Austin Siereveld on the field. They seem to think that he is one of the best five offensive linemen that they have. That means putting him at the right tackle spot, which doesn't have a defined starter at the moment.
If the Buckeyes do decide to put Philip Daniels at right tackle, Siereveld will slide into one of the guard spots. It's clear that they think highly of him. He was one of the guys who made a big improvement in the offseason, so they want to reward him for his work.
3. Kenyatta Jackson is the odd man out on the defensive line
Adding Atkinson gives Ohio State a player who can get to the quarterback at a high rate. No one else on the roster has the amount of experience that he does, so he will certainly start at one of the defensive end positions. Caden Curry played well enough to deserve the other spot.
That would mean that Kenyatta Jackson is the odd man out when it comes to starting on the defensive line. That doesn't mean he won't see a lot of snaps, though. Larry Johnson and Matt Patricia are going to want to rotate defensive linemen up front.