Ohio State football hit with bad news in the transfer portal – and it just put even more pressure on the Buckeyes
Ohio State did not land its top transfer portal target – and he’s going to play with former Buckeyes DC Jim Knowles.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have four commitments so far from the transfer portal, but they were still after their top target as of Saturday morning.
Once former Penn State DE Chaz Coleman entered the portal, the Buckeyes were figured to be the landing spot for the Ohio native. That won’t be the case for the Buckeyes in an interesting development.
Chaz Coleman is heading to the SEC over Ohio State
First reported by On3, Coleman has signed to play for the Tennessee Volunteers. Coleman chose to play for former Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and the Vols over Ohio State, LSU, and South Carolina.
Coleman had just one sack as a freshman for Penn State, but he showed great pass-rush ability with 19 pressures in eight games played. The 6-4, 240-pound pass rusher was going to command a large chunk in NIL, so the Buckeyes now need to allocate that elsewhere after missing on one of the top players in the portal.
All eyes are now on Kenyatta Jackson’s decision
Ohio State has lost leading sack artist Caden Curry to graduation; he led the team in sacks in 2025. Kenyatta Jackson started opposite Curry, and the Buckeyes would love to bring him back for another season — but he has an NFL decision to weigh in front of him first.
Jackson really came on as the season progressed for Ohio State, totaling 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for a loss in 14 games. If the Buckeyes can get Jackson back for a fifth year, that would be a big win. The top pass rushers currently on the roster are Zion Grady and former North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson.
Losing out on Coleman is a miss for the Buckeyes, and the pressure is now on them to address a glaring need along the defensive line.
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