The Ohio State football program has long been one of the nation’s best, a standard reinforced by the Buckeyes’ national championship win at the College Football Playoff in January.
But in NCAA football, such success is difficult to sustain, given that player tenures can be so short.
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The Buckeyes saw 14 of its players from the 2024 championship team selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This leaves head coach Ryan Day with gaps to plug entering the new season – which begins with a CFP semifinal rematch against Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns.
The advent of the transfer portal has helped big programs like Ohio State reinforce the roster – and according to college football insider Greg McElroy, Day will have to lean on the portal specifically to fill the “obvious need” Ohio State has as it prepares to defend its title.
“It’s pretty obvious here, when evaluating Ohio State’s spring game, talking to people that have covered the sport — they’ve got to find depth at defense tackle,” McElroy said on his “Always College Football” show.
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Former Alabama quarterback McElroy believes that although the Buckeyes have added North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson and Idaho State transfer Logan George off the edge, Day needs to acquire interior depth behind starters Eddrick Houston and Kayden McDonald.
“It was pretty obvious when you watched Ohio State in the spring, there was a lot more movement to be had by Ohio State’s offensive line against those defensive tackles not named McDonald and Houston, so you can see the push,” McElroy said.
Ohio State already has a talent-rich defense, headlined by potential 2026 top-five draft pick Caleb Downs.
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As such, McElroy insists that Day and the Buckeyes can afford to be picky and acquire the best interior line talent they can find before the season begins in Columbus on August 30.
“I think Ohio State absolutely needs to fortify the depth at defensive tackle if there’s a good one that is available to them,” McElroy said. “They don’t need to settle.”
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