Jeremiah Smith staying, Quincy Porter transferring, Carnell Tate to the draft: Sorting out Ohio State's WR room

Ohio State is facing a new reality with the position its dominated, but that doesn't have to be the Buckeyes' undoing.

Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith announced he will return to the Buckeyes in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Ohio State athletics)

COLUMBUS — The news came in a wave on Tuesday night, almost as if it were coordinated.

At 7:51 p.m., On3 reported that Ohio State receiver and former five-star prospect Quincy Porter Jr. would be transferring after one season in Columbus.

At the same time, ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news that Carnell Tate would be entering the NFL Draft after three seasons with the Buckeyes.

At 8 p.m. on the dot, Jeremiah Smith posted on X: “Not going nowhere,” with two crying-laughing emojis and one of a person putting their palm to their forehead, suggesting that the notion of Smith leaving Ohio State for anywhere was utterly silly.

Those bits of news qualify, respectively, as surprising, duh, and whew.

Let’s examine what it all means.

We knew Ohio State’s receiver room was changing, starting with the departure of Brian Hartline to South Florida and the hiring of Cortez Hankton as the team’s new receivers coach. Tate going pro was a foregone conclusion. Transfers were also inevitable. Bryson Rodgers kicked things off, followed by Damarion Witten and then former five-star prospect Mylan Graham. All sensible.