The victories just keep coming for Ryan Day and OSU. He’s coming off a gallant National Championship win and is also adding some great talents to his roster in tandem. A lot of the Buckeyes’ offense was drafted over the extremely happening weekend. In the transfer portal, Day just landed another great prospect to bulk up his O-line, which was a nagging problem last season. This time, he’s looking to build a steadier ground for his front line.

Sure, the Buckeyes won the 2024 National Championship. Along the way, the O-line kept losing one guy after the other, though it was wondrously pulling through the season. Josh Simmons, one of the leading OTs, was lost to an injury after the Oregon game. Zen Michalski filled in for him, but he went down in the next game against Nebraska. Donovan Jackson was then posted at left tackle, and Carson Hinzman became the LG. Seth McLaughlin, a key part of the puzzle, was already out because of a fall camp injury. Now that some of its O-line is out, who is Ryan Day looking at to solidify the depth chart?

The HC scored the commitment of former West Virginia OT Justin Terry in the transfer portal. Tom Orr of the Buckeyes Tomorrow Morning podcast commented, “This is one that feels much more like a long-term play.” Now Day looks like he has his five starters narrowed down already.

But given the injury fiasco last season, Day is keen on adding weight to his depth chart. He’s also going to switch up some positions this year, according to guest host Tony Gerdeman. “[They] know who their next center is, that’s probably Josh Padilla. But who’s their next guard in? And frankly, it might be Austin Siereveld, which means you’ve got to have a tackle ready to go. And in terms of this, does Justin Terry factor in this year in that way? I don’t think so,” he said.

The set starters look like Ethan Onianwa and Phillip Daniels. Their backups seem to be Ian Moore and Deontae Armstrong. Following them would be freshmen Carter Lowe and Jayvon McFadden. Terry didn’t see much game time while at West Virginia, and he still has 4 years of eligibility left. “A project this year; a guy that’s just going to continue to work, But 6’6″, around 330 pounds, a big kid with a possible future,” Gerdeman noted. While Terry is a welcome addition to an O-line building its foundation, Ryan Day received a significant blow to his recruiting campaign thanks to archrival Sherrone Moore.

Michigan is stealing Ryan Day’s prime potential recruit

The Michigan HC rained down on the hopes of Day landing star RB Savion Hiter at Ohio State. The word comes from On3’s Steve Wiltfong that the young talent is now preferring the Wolverines as his future home over the Buckeyes. Athlon Sports said that Michigan “checks nearly every box” for Hiter. Moore has amped up his efforts to get the RB to turn away from Ryan Day, and it looks like he’s winning.

Hiter was hosted by the Wolverines earlier, and that visit put the Wolverines further up in his list of favorites. He’s a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 ranked RB in the 2026 class. As a high school junior, Hiter made 156 carries and ran for 1,698 yards, and also scored 26 TDs. He was also named to the MaxPreps All-American team twice and has Under Armour All-American playing credits. If Moore does get the guy, Day will lose a key battle in the 2026 recruiting class. Also in hot pursuit of him is Josh Heupel.

You don’t always get what you want, right? Even though Day is filling up the departures in his roster with some great talents, he seems to be on the losing side when it comes to Hiter. Can the Buckeyes HC pull a new trick to swing the RB over to OSU?