A week ago in this space I tried to offer a comforting voice in the midst of what seemed like only departures in the transfer portal with few incoming signings at that time. I felt that there was little
to no chance that Ohio State would end up that far underwater where the portal was concerned, and it didn’t take long for the incoming commitments to roll in at the start of last week.
Everything looks different now, with the Buckeyes coming off a huge week in terms of portal commitments. This includes some players who will fill out a defense that is losing a lot of key starters. Let’s tart on the back end.
No one in college football can replace draft-bound safety Caleb Downs, but there are capable players on their way to Columbus. After turning in my story for editing and publication last weekend, the Buckeyes landed a pair of safeties from the ACC.
Florida State’s Earl Little Jr., a second-team All-ACC honoree this season, is coming to Ohio State along with former Duke safety Terry Moore, another second-team All-ACC player, but not from the same season. They’ll be joined in the defensive backfield by Georgia transfer cornerback Dominick Kelly and Alabama transfer corner Cam Calhoun. That tandem will compete with returning Ohio State defensive backs for starting spots, and the competition should be good for the Buckeyes’ secondary depth.
Closer to the line of scrimmage, the Buckeyes landed a couple more former Crimson Tide players. Defensive tackle James Smith and defensive end/linebacker Qua Russaw should compete immediately for snaps on Matt Patricia’s defense.
When you add in former Wisconsin linebacker Christian Alliegro, the Buckeyes addressed every level and each position group of the defense in the portal. Former UCF defensive tackle John Walker rounds out a solid portal class (and this article isn’t even addressing the offense or special teams additions).
Projecting the New Arrivals’ Roles
Little seems almost certain to start for the departing Downs after leading the Seminoles with 76 tackles and four interceptions in 2025 — his frst season as a starter. With Little’s excellent ball skills, it will be interesting to see how similarly (or differently) Patricia uses Little compared to how he used Downs.
Moore is a bit more of a question mark. He’s a solid player, but he missed all of 2025 due to a knee injury sustained in the Gator Bowl following the 2024 season. That was a rough end to Moore’s second-team All-ACC year with the Blue Devils.
While Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez seem destined for starting jobs in 2026, Kelly and Calhoun will be in the mix in the OSU secondary. Kelly seems the more likely plug-and-play guy, as Calhoun, a Cincinnati native, is already on his fourth school (Michigan, Utah, and Alabama prior to transferring), totaling just seven tackles and one pass defended in 2025.
Kelly, meanwhile, is the youngest of the defensive transfer portal additions, with three years of eligibility still in front of him. The former Georgia Bulldog appeared in 10 games for the SEC champions, finishing with three tackles and three pass breakups. Kelly could develop into a solid corner for the OSU defense and can at least provide depth immediately if he can’t earn a starting spot in 2026.
I’m not sure what to make of Alliegro. Payton Pierce figures to start, with Riley Pettijohn flashing early in his career, making his case as a player to watch. Alliegro was off to a good start to the season in 2025 until he broke his arm in Wisconsin’s game against the Buckeyes.
Despite missing some time and then not putting up the same kinds of numbers after his return, Alliegro finished third on the Badgers in tackles (53) and tied for the Wisconsin team lead in solo stops (34). He was second on the Badgers with eight tackles for loss, and broke up one pass. He’ll provide experience to the OSU linebacker corps and could win a starting spot or at least be a key depth player.
Up front, Smith and Russaw are former five-star recruits. According to the 247Sports rankings, Smith was the top-rated defensive tackle and a top-10 player at any position in the portal. He should be in the mix to start right away, coming off a 2025 season that saw him start 12 games and finish with 28 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss (tied for second among all Crimson Tide defenders), 2.5 sacks, a pass breakup, and two quarterback hurries. At 6-foot-3 and 300 pounds, Smith can play either interior defensive line spot for Ohio State.
Russaw has more eligibility remaining, entering 2026 as a redshirt junior. An intriguing prospect, Russaw emerged with a solid 2024 season but was sidelined for almost two months in 2025 with a broken foot. The Crimson Tide used him in a variety of ways, so he’s a player who could end up taking over for Arvell Reese.
His 14 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one sack in 2025 are deceiving because of the midseason injury, as Russaw posted 36 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two interceptions, two quarterback hurries, and a forced fumble in 2024. Like Little and Smith, Russaw has a good chance at earning a starting spot on the OSU defense in 2026.
Walker totaled 59 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two passes defended, and a forced fumble in his two seasons in Orlando with the Knights. He appears to project as a key depth player.
The Buckeyes have lost a ton of talent on the defensive side of the ball in the last two offseasons. The bulk of that talent is either in the NFL or headed there shortly. But there’s also a lot of younger talent that skipped town in the transfer portal, and some of those players seemed like they had bright futures as Buckeyes. The two that leap to mind are Aaron Scott Jr. and Faheem Delane, who both could have seen significant snaps in 2026.
But the most important thing for Ohio State is that it addressed its biggest defensive needs in the transfer portal, while retaining the services of Mathews Jr. and Kenyatta Jackson. Still, Patricia figures to have his work cut out for him if the Buckeye defense is going to approach its 2025 level of excellence.
