Ohio State’s defense takes a hit with key depth opting to hit the transfer portal ahead of game against Texas
All the focus for the Ohio State Buckeyes is going toward preparing for the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. While that is going on, the transfer portal is still as busy as ever. The Buckeyes have taken another hit to their roster with a senior opting to hit the portal. Pass rusher […]
All the focus for the Ohio State Buckeyes is going toward preparing for the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday.
While that is going on, the transfer portal is still as busy as ever. The Buckeyes have taken another hit to their roster with a senior opting to hit the portal.
Pass rusher Mitchell Melton is going to be playing a sixth year of college football but it will not be in Columbus.
Melton has had a tough road with missing the entirety of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with injuries. Originally recruited to Ohio State as a four-star linebacker, Melton moved to defensive end last season for the Buckeyes.
This season for Ohio State, Melton has recorded two sacks and is up to three total for his career. As it stands now, Melton is a third-string player behind backups Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry. However, as it currently stands, Melton would have been a key backup along the defensive line in 2025.
Ohio State has brought in Logan George from the FCS and he figures to be a top backup off the edge for the Buckeyes. Zion Grady is a talented pass rusher who will be a freshman at Ohio State next season and is the only pure pass rusher the Buckeyes brought in for the 2025 class. It is still a possibility that the Buckeyes add a second body in the portal and may even be likely now that Melton is out.
Another potential thing to watch is that the Buckeyes very well could move linebacker C.J. Hicks to the defensive line full-time. Hicks has shown some promise getting after the quarterback after having trouble cracking the starting lineup at linebacker through three seasons.
Thanks to his redshirt in 2021 and all athletes getting the extra year in 2020, Melton has one last season to play football at the college level. It won’t be in Columbus and his landing spot will be interesting to see.
