Projecting Ohio State's depth chart for 2026, as the transfer portal is open

The Buckeyes will lose between eight and 13 starters on offense and defense

The Ohio State Buckeyes before they took the field for the last time in the 2025 season on Wednesday night. (Photo by Doug Lesmerises)

(This post is updating post-portal as the Buckeyes lose and, at some point, add players)

ARLINGTON, Texas — So anyway, the good news for Ohio State is that the Buckeyes can get straight into the transfer portal on Friday with a better sense of their roster, without worrying about that pesky national championship game.

The official transfer portal window this season is Jan. 2 to Jan. 16. But the players on the teams in the national title game on Jan. 19 can go in the portal between Jan. 20 and Jan. 24.

So those teams could lose players after the deadline without having the chance to replace them. Once upon a time, it was a thing that concerned Ryan Day.

People in the building have indicated that the Buckeyes could be aggressive in the portal. Especially with the coaching changes at major programs like Penn State, LSU, Florida, Auburn, Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA, Ohio State knew some talent would shake loose.