The blows keep coming for the Ohio State football program. In one day, two members of the secondary and a running back have entered the transfer portal. The mass exodus from the program is continuing. Safety Kye Stokes, a four-star recruit from the 2022 class, announced he is entering the transfer portal.
Stokes did not see the field much in his freshman year partly because of the depth at safety. Ronnie Hickman, Lathan Ransom and Tanner McCalister were all ahead of him on the depth chart. He did see some action in the fifth game of the year against Rutgers after McCalister went down with an injury. Stokes got his “welcome to college football” moment against the Wisconsin Badgers when a bad angle allowed RB Braelon Allen to score a 75-yard touchdown. Despite the struggles, there was a lot of promise and now he is looking for a new program.
Time to panic in Columbus?
It’s hard not to at this point. While some teams have dealt with players leaving for the transfer portal, this is four body blows in a matter of 12 hours. The secondary alone has seen three young talented players leave the program. It is unclear whether this is due to something that is happening within the program or whether this is simply a response to the new college football landscape. Players can look around at NIL opportunities. If they don’t like what they see, they can always remove their name. It might not be time to panic, but it is definitely time to question what is happening in Columbus.
Ryan Day has his work cut out for him this offseason. He needs to build up a program that can beat Michigan and get the Buckeyes back to the College Football Playoff.
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