Our team provides their reactions to the initial interviews with the Buckeyes’ offseason transfer portal additions.
Since the conclusion of the 2023 college football season in late December, Ohio State has been actively restructuring the roster. Alongside retaining most of their junior class, who contemplated early NFL Draft declarations, the Buckeyes have been proactive in the transfer portal, securing six players, with five having a real chance to make an impact this upcoming fall.
While Ohio State hasn’t been as focused on the transfer portal as some other programs, Coach Ryan Day’s team has increasingly embraced it over the last two offseasons, recognizing it as an effective way not only to fill roster gaps but also to enhance the team in ways previously unavailable in college football. The Buckeyes successfully utilized this strategy last year with some transfer portal acquisitions and seem to have continued this trend in the current offseason, capitalizing on Nick Saban’s unexpected retirement to recruit talented players from Alabama.
On Wednesday, five of the six transfer portal players were made available to the local media for the first time. This group includes quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State), running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss), tight end Will Kacmarek (Ohio University), offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin (Alabama), and safety Caleb Downs (Alabama). (Freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, technically a transfer, will meet with the media along with the rest of the 2024 class later in the offseason.)
Bucknuts, present at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday morning, listened, observed, and posed questions to the newest Buckeye players. Our team writers Dave Biddle, Patrick Murphy, and Steve Helwagen were impressed.
Following the interviews, the trio provided their instant reactions to the transfers live on the field at the WHAC. You can watch the Instant Reaction video above.
