The players Ohio State has landed through the transfer portal in the past two seasons haven’t just been the cherry on top of an already stacked roster.
In the case of Justin Fields, Jonah Jackson and Trey Sermon, the Buckeyes have picked up essential pieces that were desperately needed to strengthen shallow position groups and become driving forces toward a championship cause.
Transfer mobility has increased in the sport as players continue to take control of their own destiny, which means the Buckeyes are far from finished adding (or losing) potential stars and vital cogs as the years carry on.
But even before Fields’ monumental move to the program, Ohio State has had plenty of experience with transfers, if on a slightly smaller scale. Here are some notable transfer situations the program has encountered over the years.
Ones that worked out:
Justin Fields
Fields must go down as biggest transfer addition in program history, given his five-star recruiting status, the monster sophomore campaign that landed him in New York as a Heisman finalist and his potential to go No. 1 in next year’s draft.
Stuck behind Jake Fromm at Georgia, Fields entered the portal in December 2018 and joined Ryan Day and the Buckeyes a month later. Thus far, it couldn’t be working out any better for Fields or Ohio State, except maybe if the parties had captured a Heisman Trophy and a national title in their first season together. However, both could be remedied in 2020.
