Ryan Day just sent a message across the Big Ten, and it landed right in Ann Arbor’s backyard. The Ohio State Buckeyes dipped into the portal once again, locking in their 14th addition. As cornerback Cam Calhoun joins the fold, he brings with him a well-traveled résumé. It includes a stop with archrival Michigan.

“#BOOM Ohio State adds to the depth of its secondary with the transfer of former Alabama, Utah, and Michigan cornerback Cam Calhoun,” Buckeye Sports Bulletin analyst, Chase Brown, reported on January 15, how Ryan Day made a bold transfer portal move.

Calhoun’s résumé includes a backup role and special teams snaps with the Alabama Crimson Tide last season. His journey to Columbus has been a winding one, with brief stops in Michigan in 2023 and Utah in 2024, before a stint as a backup and special-teamer for Alabama last season. During his time at Michigan, he played in two games but did not record any stats.

Most of Calhoun’s real game reps came with the Utes. There, he logged nearly 400 snaps in the rotation, paced the team with nine pass breakups, and even snagged a pick in a win over Utah State. In Alabama, he came up with six total tackles and one pass breakup. 

Calhoun arrived on the scene as a four-star in the 2023 cycle, checking in at No. 397 overall and No. 41 at corner out of Cincinnati’s Winton Woods. It’s a familiar pipeline for Day’s program, as he previously lined up alongside Buckeyes starting corner Jermaine Mathews Jr., who returns for his senior season.

Calhoun’s recruitment never included an offer from Day’s Ohio State. But interestingly, one of its defining moments came in Columbus. While on an unofficial visit for The Game in 2022, he committed to Michigan as the Buckeyes were handed a 45-23 defeat.

According to Pro Football Focus, throwing at Calhoun was a low-percentage play. Quarterbacks connected on fewer than half their attempts against him, totaling only 21 receptions on 43 targets for 231 yards and two touchdowns, an ultra-efficient 5.4 yards per target.

The cornerback brings depth to Day’s cornerback room. Ohio State’s first-team picture features senior Jermaine Mathews Jr. and sophomore Devin Sanchez on the outside, with Earl Little Jr. slotting the nickel.

The concern, however, lies in their depth, as the portal losses of Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West, who were once scheduled as top backups, depleted the roster. It has forced Day to turn to freshmen Jordan Thomas and Jay Timmons, and to use Jordyn Woods and Miles Lockhart as the primary depth options.

So, Calhoun comes off as the veteran insurance. He is capable of handling dimeback snaps, filling in during emergencies, or giving starters occasional relief. 

While Calhoun shores up the secondary, his addition is just one piece of Ryan Day’s larger, and still unfinished, puzzle in the transfer portal.

Ryan Day’s transfer portal targets

Johntay Cook hit the portal, and his stock jumped immediately. Playing through an ankle issue and a quarterback shakeup at Syracuse, the Orange wide receiver still posted 549 yards, making him a hot target for Day’s staff.

The Buckeyes’ wide receiver room faced back-to-back blows when both Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter transferred to Notre Dame. That’s what made Day desperate, prompting Day to make a significant seven-figure NIL offer to Cook, allegedly. 

“I was talking to an NIL agent, this weekend, and one of those 10 Northern schools I talked about, who already has two really good receivers that’ll play on Sundays, is bidding on another receiver, seven figures out of Syracuse,” said Colin Cowherd.

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With Ohio State reportedly among the schools in that bidding war, Day is also eyeing Colorado Buffaloes transfer quarterback Ryan Staub. Lincoln Kienholz’s departure depleted Ohio State’s quarterback depth, leaving Julian Sayin as the starter. 

For now, any quarterback addition at Ohio State would begin at the bottom of the depth chart. Whether Day can land another key transfer at quarterback will be a defining question for the Buckeyes heading into the season.