The Opening Drive 1/13: Five Boom Monday Transfer Portal Update
The Buckeyes portal plans are showing, and an update on where the former Buckeyes are headed.
Monday was a “boomtastic” day for the Buckeye football program. We’ve talked a lot about the staff having a plan, and being patient. It appears that patience has paid off. The plan is showing, as the Buckeyes added 5 players on Monday. There’s one constant with the new additions, maturity. As we’ve discussed, you’re going to see the staff adding players with age. Of the new additions, the youngest is QB Justyn Martin and he will be a redshirt junior.
Who Are the New Additions?
DB Terry Moore joins the Buckeyes via the Duke Blue Devils. He missed the 2025 season recovering from ACL surgery, but was Second Team All-ACC in 2024. If PFF grades are your thing, you’ll love Moore. In 2024, he was the second highest ranked safety that played more than 100 snaps with a PFF grade of 90.1. He accumulated 70+ tackles and 4 interceptions. Moore will be 22 years old when the season starts, and will be a redshirt senior.
TE Hunter Welcing is a 7th year Senior, who joins the Buckeyes via conference foe Northwestern. Does the addition of Welcing give us a hint about the future of Max Klare? I’d assume, but you never know. The honorable mention all-big ten TE had a breakout game in 2025 against the team up north. He had 4 catches for 81 yards in a game that Northwestern almost pulled off.
Quarterback Justyn Martin also joins the team via two Big Ten Schools. Martin has had stops at UCLA, and last year at Maryland. Martin comes to Columbus to fill that veteran role in the QB room, while bringing a skill set that could possibly get on the field in some situations. At 6-5 and 230 lbs, you could see him used in short yardage situations especially if Julian Sayin continues to struggle executing the quarterback sneak aspect of things. Martin is a Redshirt Senior, but has gone on record saying he expects to be granted a medical redshirt for his 6th year. That will be an interesting situation to monitor, as the NCAA has recently been on a roll of denying those waivers.
The last two additions come as a package deal and provide the biggest boom, at least as far as rankings and stars go. The Alabama duo of DT James Smith and EDGE Qua Russaw were the last two commitments on a day that was labeled “pure cinema” by Eleven Warriors. The pair, both 5-star recruits coming out of high school bring a swagger to the field. Smith is ranked the number one defensive tackle in the portal by 247 sports. Smith had 6.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks last year. He is joined by teammate Qua Russaw. After a breakout 2024, Russaw saw a reduced role at Alabama in 2025. Russaw then suffered a broken foot that sidelined him for roughly two months. It’s easy to see why Matt Patricia wanted to add Russaw though, as he is a freak athlete who can be deployed many ways. Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need, and I think that might be the case with these guys.
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Where Are the Former Buckeyes Headed?
We have seen a lot of movement from former Buckeyes entering the portal. There are rumors that the staff is trying to re-recruit at least one player, Mylan Graham. That situation is very fluid, and we will keep you updated as news breaks. Here is a list of where former Buckeyes in the portal are headed:
DB Bryce West —- Wisconsin
Edge CJ Hicks —- USF
Edge Logan George —- Washington
DT Maxwell Roy —- UCLA
DT Eric Mensah —- Virginia Tech
K Jackson Courville —- Tulane
OL Tegra Tshabola —- Kentucky
OL Isaiah Kerma —- Utah
P Nick McClarty —- Arizona State
QB Lincoln Kienholz —- Louisville
RB Sam Dixon —- South Carolina
RB James Peoples —- Penn State
TE Jelani Thurman—- North Carolina
WR Bryson Rodgers —- USF
WR Quincy Porter —- Notre Dame
DL Jarquez Carter —- Miami
In my opinion, all of these guys should be in line for playing time at their new homes. Kentucky has been very active in the portal, and being able to add someone with the experience of Tegra will only benefit them. The big surprise to me is Sam Dixon to South Carolina, but I also won’t be surprised if he thrives. He has shown flashes of his potential when given opportunities.
The Buckeyes aren’t done in the portal yet, so stay tuned to Buckeye Film Breakdown for updates as they become available.
Buckeye Film Breakdown will return soon with some fresh content.
