Ohio State football‘s transfer portal haul last winter brought plenty of new faces to Columbus, and tight end Hunter Welcing is one of the most experienced additions on the roster.

The former Northwestern tight end is heading into his 7th year of college football and will compete for playing time behind likely starter sophomore Nate Roberts this fall. Welcing recently got candid about his acclimation to the Buckeyes, admitting the transition has been tougher than he expected.

Welcing’s long road to Columbus

The Buckeyes lost over 30 players to the transfer portal last winter, mostly depth pieces from the back end of the roster. Ohio State brought in nearly half that number through its own portal additions. Combined with 11 players departing for the 2026 NFL Draft, there are going to be a lot of new contributors stepping up for the Buckeyes this season.

Welsing’s path to Ohio State has been anything but conventional. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end had just one catch in his first five seasons at Northwestern after missing all of the 2020 and 2022 seasons besides one game due to injury. He broke out last year with Northwestern, hauling in 28 catches for 296 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Still, making the jump to another Big Ten program hasn’t been an easy one for a player who spent nearly half a decade in Evanston.

Even with all that experience, Welcing has acknowledged that adjusting to how the Ohio State football program operates has been a challenge this offseason. 

“It’s been different, for sure. It’s definitely a little bit more intense than what I was expecting,” Welcing told Eleven Warriors recently. “But it’s been good. I feel like I really gave it my all and it kind of pushed me towards uncomfortability, and then making myself a better player in the process.”

Ohio State’s tight end room is loaded with competition

Welcing won’t be handed anything. He’s battling for a depth spot alongside Ohio transfer tight end Mason Williams and returning contributor Bennett Christian. Roberts appears to be the frontrunner at the position, but Ohio State typically deploys multiple tight ends, and all of them could carve out a role this fall.

The addition of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as the team’s play caller makes the tight end position worth watching closely. Smith has historically featured tight ends in his offensive schemes, and it remains to be seen whether the Buckeyes see an uptick in targets to the position this season.

Why Ohio State targeted experience in the portal

Ohio State’s portal strategy last winter was deliberate. The Buckeyes wanted to add experience and get older, and players like Welcing fit that mold perfectly. He’s been around college football for a long time and brings a level of maturity that younger players on the roster simply can’t replicate.

That said, experience at another program doesn’t automatically translate to a smooth landing at Ohio State. Welcing’s honest assessment of his transition is a reminder that the Buckeyes run things differently, and even veteran transfers need time to adjust.

Time will tell how the tight end room shakes out once fall camp gets underway, but Welcing’s willingness to embrace the challenge is a good sign for a player looking to make the most of his final college season.