Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes have watched 29 players exit while adding just 11. With quarterback help on the agenda, Day has now zeroed in on Colorado Buffaloes’ transfer signal-caller. Ironically, it’s the same name sitting atop the LSU Tigers’ wish list. 

“Source: LSU is expected to host Colorado QB Ryan Staub on a visit later this week,” reported Locked on LSU analyst Matt Moscona on January 13. 

Kiffin and Co. are now waiting for the transfer portal recruiting dead period to end on January 14. After that, the Tigers will be opening the doors to welcome Ryan Staub for a visit later in the weekend.

The quarterback depth on Day’s squad was reduced when Lincoln Kienholz entered the portal. With Julian Sayin locked in as the 2026 starter, Tavien St. Clair as the projected backup, and freshman Luke Fahey completing the group, the Buckeyes enter spring with only three scholarship quarterbacks.

Day has long preferred a four-quarterback room, which is why Eli Brickhandler was added last year. Staub’s upcoming visit fits that philosophy, offering Ohio State a more game-ready option to shore up depth.

A member of Deion Sanders’ 2023 recruiting haul, Staub has spent the past three seasons in Boulder waiting his turn as a backup signal-caller. After taking a redshirt in 2024, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback earned a larger workload in 2025. 

Day’s latest target finished the season completing 30 of 55 passes for 427 yards through the air, three scores, and four picks, and he also ran for one score.

But the chase to woo Staub will not be an easy one for Day. Along with LSU, the Buckeyes are competing with the Kentucky Wildcats and the Cincinnati Bearcats. Staub was buried on Colorado’s depth chart, and a move to Day’s Ohio State wouldn’t necessarily alter that reality.

The Buckeyes provide a high-end developmental environment and competition with five-star St. Clair for the No. 2 job behind Sayin. However, the starting opportunities appear to be limited.

Meanwhile, Kiffin has also signed Elon redshirt freshman Landen Clark. So, LSU also does not offer starting opportunities, and Kentucky offers SEC familiarity. But the arrival of Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey likely leaves Staub stuck in another backup role. 

In that case, Day and Co.’s real threat in the Staub race is Cincinnati. With Brendan Sorsby headed to Texas Tech, the Bearcats present the transfer quarterback with an opportunity to fill the starting role. 

Despite the stiff competition for Staub’s commitment, Ohio State continues to build a program that makes it hard for any recruit to say no.

Ryan Day’s program flexes the NFL success

This season, the NFL is running heavy with former Buckeyes.

“All eight teams advancing to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs have at least one former Ohio State player on their rosters,” reported Ohio State football beat writer Dan Hope. 

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Interestingly, in the pro league, they will face each other. For instance, Denver Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper, Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud, Seattle Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba, among others. What better selling point to woo a transfer portal recruit?

Even though there is a massive gap between the players that Day added from the portal and lost to the portal, the head coach is now going full throttle. On January 12, the Buckeyes dealt double blows by landing a pair of transfers from the Alabama Crimson Tide. 

Ohio State secured significant defensive commitments in lineman James Smith and edge rusher Qua Russaw. Smith was widely viewed as the top defensive tackle on the board, while Russaw emerged as one of the premier edge prospects available.

Russaw arrives from Alabama, where he played linebacker and is expected to slide into a defensive end role in Columbus. Smith, meanwhile, addresses a far more pressing need inside, as the Buckeyes were forced to reload at defensive tackle following Kayden McDonald’s departure to the NFL.

Ryan Day is riding high after a Tuscaloosa recruiting steal. But the next test is whether his namesake, Ryan Staub, signs on without a guaranteed shot at the starting role.