Former Ohio State football elite recruit is predicted to land with Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers – and the Buckeyes have already replaced him
LSU made too much sense for the former Buckeye in the transfer portal.
The Ohio State Buckeyes have had more roster turnover than they’ve ever had this transfer portal season. 30 players have decided to exit the program, while the Buckeyes have brought a dozen in.
Ohio State isn’t dealing with anything unexpected here. This is just how college football works in the year 2026. The Buckeyes bring in a 28-man freshman class for 2026 and are losing mostly defensive players from the 2025 team.
A former highly regarded recruit who came as a surprise departure was S Faheem Delane, and it appears he’s closing in on a home in the SEC.
Faheem Delane is predicted to land with LSU, Buckeyes have his replacement already
Delane entered the portal on Jan. 12 in a surprise move, considering he was penciled in as a potential starter alongside Jaylen McClain in 2026. That isn’t happening, and On3’s Pete Nakos has predicted that Delane will be heading to play for the LSU Tigers and its new head coach, Lane Kiffin.
As a part of Ohio State’s 2025 recruiting class, Delane was a top-five safety and top-60 player nationally. Delane played in 13 games as a freshman and recorded 12 tackles. The 6-1 safety is the brother of Mansoor Delane, who is expected to be a first-round pick in April out of LSU.
Ohio State landed former Florida State S Earl Little Jr. the evening of Delane’s departure — and they followed it up the next day by landing former Duke S Terry Moore. Little is expected to man the slot, while Moore will be in the role that Caleb Downs was in 2025 for Matt Patricia’s system.
Delane is the No. 10 safety in the transfer portal and a top-150 player available, per 247 Sports. The former Buckeye was mainly a special teams contributor in 2025, but should have a chance to compete for major playing time with the Tigers when/if he officially signs.
Ohio State Buckeyes News
Ohio State football landed the win Buckeye Nation has been waiting on from the transfer portal, and he’s set to start in Columbus
Ohio State is up to 12 transfer portal additions after this latest move.
