Ohio State Retains Key Players in Spring Transfer Window, Should Have Much Larger NFL Draft Class in 2025

Real Pod Wednesdays

The spring transfer portal window has come and gone without Ohio State losing any key players.

Six players from Ohio State entered the portal during the spring window, but none of them – running back Dallan Hayden, wide receiver Kyion Grayes, guard Enokk Vimahi, linebacker Nigel Glover and safeties Ja’Had Carter and Cedrick Hawkins – were in line to play major roles for the Buckeyes in 2024.

As a result, Ohio State has secured one of college football’s best and deepest rosters for the upcoming season even though it hasn’t made any post-spring transfer additions yet.

There aren’t a ton of obvious targets available in the portal for the Buckeyes to upgrade their roster, leaving one major question mark at right guard, but the Buckeyes will have healthy competitions both along the offensive line and at quarterback going into preseason camp since they were able to keep their rosters intact at those positions.

We begin this week’s episode of Real Pod Wednesdays by recapping a largely uneventful spring transfer window in college football and why that’s a good thing for the Buckeyes.

Later, we talk about the lingering needs for Ohio State men’s basketball and what options remain to fill them; a smaller-than-expected 2024 NFL draft class for Ohio State that still led to good fits for each of the four Buckeyes who were selected; and why it’s a long shot for Ohio State’s 2025 NFL draft class to break the all-time record for total selections even though it should be a prolific draft class.

The full rundown:

• 0:11: Post-spring roster retention went as well as Ohio State could have hoped
• 1:55: An uneventful portal cycle was good news for OSU, even if it limits OSU’s upgrade options
• 4:23: There doesn’t appear to be a plug-and-play, sure-fire upgrade available at right guard
• 6:21: Ohio State’s quarterback depth will be the envy of college football
• 8:46: Across the board, there’s far less talent in the portal now than there was in January
• 10:43: Safety, running back are positions where Ohio State could another depth piece
• 12:22: Defensive line, cornerback among positions where OSU’s depth really stands out
• 14:27: OSU should consider giving Inky Jones, TC Caffey scholarships if some remain open
• 19:11: Basketball transfer options dwindling after OSU misses out on Trey Townsend, others
• 21:51: Sean Stewart is the top remaining target for OSU, who must beat out competition for him
• 23:23: Kris Parker, Elijah Saunders, Langdon Hatton among other possible forward targets
• 25:41: OSU could use another center to back up Aaron Bradshaw, but there’s no clear target
• 28:47: OSU’s 2024 NFL draft smaller than expected, but Buckeyes’ picks set up to succeed
• 36:16: Josh Proctor, Xavier Johnson most likely to make teams among undrafted Buckeyes
• 40:10: Ohio State has as many as 20 prospects on NFL scouts’ radars for 2025 draft
• 44:56: A lot would have to go right for Ohio State to break the single-year draft pick record
• 47:16: Ohio State should have a lot more picks in the first two days of next year’s draft alone
• 49:49: Will players with NFL draft decisions be as motivated to stay next year as this year?
• 54:11: It shouldn’t be forgotten how hard it is to get drafted when forecasting to next year
• 54:52: Denzel Burke, Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka among potential first-round picks in 2025
• 59:39: OSU won’t have a lot of junior starters this year, leaving fewer early departure candidates

Programming note: There will be no episode of Real Pod Wednesdays next week. RPW will return for its next episode on May 15.