Ohio State whiffs on top-ranked transfer portal offensive tackle, and continues an ugly trend up front
The potential story was built to be like the Joshua Simmons situation, Ohio State football betting on traits from the former San Diego State standout, and eventually developing him into one of the best offensive tackles in college football. That was the arc many envisioned with Nevada transfer Isaiah World, a player the Buckeyes looked […]
The potential story was built to be like the Joshua Simmons situation, Ohio State football betting on traits from the former San Diego State standout, and eventually developing him into one of the best offensive tackles in college football. That was the arc many envisioned with Nevada transfer Isaiah World, a player the Buckeyes looked primed to close on in this portal cycle.
Unfortunately, World cut his finalists to three schools on Monday, and Ohio State was not included. The three finalists for the talented offensive lineman include Oregon, Texas A&M, and Nebraska. Seeing the Ducks on that list should be unsettling for Buckeye fans and that developing rivalry.
At 6-8 and 320 pounds, World was a two-time All-Mountain West selection for the Wolfpack. He has started 35 games in his career, and possesses a tremendous combination of size, length, and overall athleticism. World is still very much an ascending player who is only going to get better.
There is a report out there that Ohio State offensive line coach Justin Frye had been pitching World to play guard in Columbus, and that pitch didn’t go over well. If that report is true, it appears pretty misguided from Coach Frye, who is going to be forced to replace both of his starting offensive tackles this offseason. Asking a 6-8 player with good foot quickness to move inside also doesn’t seem like the best of ideas.
The Buckeyes are set to lose Josh Simmons and Josh Fryar this offseason, making offensive tackle a massive positive of need. They will also be losing starters Donovan Jackson and Seth McLaughlin from the line, making 2025 a season of offensive line turnover.
World is rated as the top offensive tackle in the portal currently according to 247Sports, making this a big loss. Ohio State has not been able to create much buzz with this offensive line portal class so far, and leaves a lot of questions out there to answer. World will unfortunately not be a part of the solution.
