How many scholarship players did Ohio State lose to the transfer portal? A look at Buckeyes’ track record in 2025

Head coach Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes are doing everything they can to defend their National Championship in the upcoming season. Spring practice has been productive for the squad, but as the spring transfer window approached in mid-April, there were concerns that the team could lose some key scholarship players.

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, they did not lose any scholarship players during the 10-day spring transfer window. There were four Buckeyes players who entered the portal, but they were all walk-ons. The group included running back TC Caffey, wide receiver Reis Stocksdale, punter Anthony Venneri, and long snapper Morrow Evans.

Although those four players provided depth for the Buckeyes squad, they were not expected to see much playing time in the 2025 season. The 'Eleven Warriors' X account confirmed on Sunday morning that Ryan Day's squad did not lose any scholarship players in the spring transfer window.

"Ohio State didn’t lose a single scholarship player during the spring transfer window, prompting Ryan Day to celebrate [with] a cold beer when the portal closed Saturday at midnight."

Ryan Day joked about waking up with a hangover from his celebration on Saturday during an appearance on ESPN Radio.

"I woke up with a little bit of a headache, because it was a long night last night. That first beer went down cold after the portal finally closed at midnight, I can tell you that," Day said. "Holy smokes, what a world we're living in right now."

Day has always worked hard on retention as Ohio State's head coach. During the winter window in December and January, the Buckeyes only lost 13 scholarship players, and none of them were projected to start this season. The only player in that group who was projected to play a significant role was defensive tackle Hero Kanu.

---

What additions did Ohio State make in the spring transfer window?

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes made one significant addition in the spring transfer window. They landed defensive lineman Beau Atkinson from the North Carolina Tar Heels. Atkinson spent the past two seasons with the Tar Heels, registering 35 tackles, including 24 solo efforts, and 7.5 sacks this past season. He chose the Buckeyes over the Georgia Bulldogs.

Atkinson will bring playmaking and experience to the Buckeyes squad. He is joining a defensive group that is under new leadership with defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who was most recently a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023.