With the College Football Playoff first round games set to get started this weekend, Ohio State will be playing close attention to the results to see who they will have in the Cotton Bowl. While Ryan Day
has said all along it doesn’t matter who they play with their “it’s about us” mantra, it’s still an important weekend of intel as the preparation really gets serious.
Plenty on their plate this entire month, the Buckeyes have a top priority of defending their national championship, but are also monitoring the future of their program. Already news of at least one player planning to enter the transfer portal from Ohio State’s roster, in the coming days the headlines will only increase.
Ohio State facing ‘must-have’ portal target
Ohio State’s current roster is loaded, and the fortunate part is that the Buckeyes will have a ton coming back in 2026 to make another strong run. Still, the coaching staff is always looking to improve certain areas of the roster, and the transfer portal offers them the best chance at doing so.
Seen the past couple of seasons, Ohio State has been able to land some elite level players to further improve their team, and Thursday’s news of Penn State defensive end Chaz Coleman planning to enter the portal is right on par with the type of player they are looking for.
An Ohio native that simply put the Buckeyes were too late on during his prep recruitment, Coleman chose to stick with his commitment to Penn State even with Ohio State pushing late. After his true freshman season he is looking to head elsewhere, and that of course has the Buckeyes linked all over to this latest update for a multitude of reasons.
One of the premier edge rushers in the country as a freshman, Ohio State knows this is a player they could have done a better job with while he was still in high school, but having a second chance to right their wrongs looks to be in the works. Always a position of need, he would immediately improve the roster and provide depth you cannot have enough of.
The coaching staff knows the abilities Coleman has, and they felt that this year when he made several plays against the Buckeyes in Penn State’s favor. With the amount of smoke and rumors already circling this transfer news, it will be a surprise of Ohio State is not the end destination.
Right now they are very much the clear favorite. It’s time to bring one of Ohio’s best back home and the full court press is about to begin for Coleman.
Quick Hits
2027 running back prospect Xavier Bala shared the latest update in his recruitment on Thursday, announcing his commitment date for Jan. 10. The No. 409 player nationally and the 30th best running back per the 247Sports Composite grades, Bala is considering Boston College, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Syracuse, and Virginia.
