Ohio State football loses former five-star recruit to the transfer portal after Miami ended their season 

The roster turnover has kicked off after the Buckeyes loss.

Adam Holt, Brandon Little
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Nov 22, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia puts on his headset before the game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The transfer portal is relentless. Even minutes after the Ohio State Buckeyes fell to the Miami Hurricanes in their first College Football Playoff action, the program felt a potential loss due to the portal. Now, Ohio State has received some more “intention news” that involves a former five-star.

Former five-star recruit plans to enter transfer portal and potentially leave Ohio State

Buckeyes EDGE rusher/linebacker CJ Hicks plans to enter the transfer portal, according to On3. He will have one year of eligibility left, as much of it has been exhausted even without a top-flight role with OSU. Hicks was a five-star recruit in the 2022 class.

Hicks took a redshirt for the 2025 season after seeing limited action. He wasn’t expected to have a major role for Matt Patricia’s defensive unit and saw that sort of writing on the wall. With that, this decision is not particularly a surprise for the Buckeyes as they look forward to next season and how they’ll build their roster.

Discussed Hicks’ expected departure with Buckeyes beat writer Brandon Little a bit this afternoon. Check out what he had to say below.

“Hicks is a former five-star recruit who just never worked out at Ohio State. For the first three seasons of his college football career, the Ohio native was a linebacker as he came in as. Hicks showed promise as a pass rusher last season with two sacks and last offseason he made the switch to be a full-time EDGE. Learning a new position four years into your college career is easier said than done, so Ohio State and Hicks both decided it was best that he redshirt this season to have one more year of eligibility left. 

It’s not a surprise that Hicks will be using that one year of eligibility elsewhere. The 6-foot-3 pass rusher having just 42 tackles in 44 games and having spent three of those years as a linebacker isn’t how Hicks expected his Ohio State career to go. Now, he gets the chance to land on his feet somewhere he can get on the field in 2026.” — Brandon Little, A to Z Sports Ohio State

Ohio State’s announced transfer portal departures so far

  • Sr. LB C.J. Hicks
  • Jr. WR Bryson Rodgers
  • Jr. TE Jelani Thurman
  • Jr. QB Lincoln Kienholz
  • So. CB Bryce West

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