Ohio State’s defensive line carries more risk than you think

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State has never been a portal-first program. Mark Pantoni has said it himself — recruiting has to be the foundation.

The portal is a supplement, not a strategy. But heading into the 2026 season, the Buckeyes are leaning on transfer additions on the defensive line in a way they simply haven’t before, and on the latest episode of Buckeye Talk, Stephen Means laid out exactly why that should make Buckeye fans at least a little bit nervous.

This was the irrational fear segment of the show’s defensive line breakdown, and while Means was careful to frame it in those terms, the underlying logic is hard to dismiss.

Ohio State brought in Quay Russaw from Alabama, James Smith from Alabama, and John Walker from North Carolina to fill significant roles on the defensive line. These aren’t depth pieces or situational players — they’re expected to be frontline contributors on a team with national championship aspirations. And the honest question, the one Means put directly to listeners, is this: What’s the floor if they’re

“What if you are wrong? And that’s not just, oh, you were wrong about Ethan Onianwa and we’re going to patch it with Austin Siereveld playing left tackle for us for a year. Like, if you’re wrong, it could blow up in your face fundamentally.“

That’s the part of the transfer portal conversation that doesn’t get enough airtime. When Ohio State has been wrong about portal additions in the past, the consequences were manageable. The margin for error on the defensive line in 2026 is considerably thinner.

The Buckeye Talk crew spent time on the episode distinguishing between the different types of transfers Ohio State has historically brought in. There are the “plug a hole” guys — your Jonah Jacksons, your Tanner McCalister — solid players who come in and do a specific job. There are the “obvious stars” — Quinshon Judkins, Caleb Downs — where the decision is almost self-evident. And then there’s a third, more volatile category, exemplified by Josh Simmons: players whose ceiling is genuinely exciting but whose floor is uncertain enough that the whole thing feels like a calculated bet.

Russaw, Smith, and Walker all fall closer to that third category, and Means made the uncomfortable observation that the transfer portal’s track record doesn’t exactly favor dramatic developmental leaps.

“There’s nothing at Alabama that would tell you Quay Russaw is going to be like first round pick.“

That’s not a knock on Russaw as a player. It’s a statement about expectations and what the data actually supports. James Smith and Russaw both originally chose Nick Saban’s Alabama and got DeBoer’s transition year instead. John Walker flashed as a freshman All-American before injuries derailed his trajectory. The upside is real. But so is the uncertainty.

What makes this particularly high-stakes is the volume. Ohio State has leaned on the portal in spots before. But asking three portal additions to simultaneously become frontline defensive linemen — while also depending on Kenyatta Jackson to take a significant step forward and Eddrick Houston to stay healthy — involves a lot of variables stacking up in the same room at the same time.

Andrew Gillis put it cleanly in the episode: the volatility is simply higher when you have more unknowns on the table. You could hit three home runs. You could also find out that the ceiling had already been hit before these players arrived in Columbus.

Larry Johnson’s track record earns him the benefit of the doubt, and Means was quick to note that the first 40 minutes of the show were essentially a Johnson appreciation segment for exactly that reason. But even the best coaches in college football history can’t guarantee outcomes from a portal class that is built on potential rather than proven production.

The risk is real. The reward could be enormous. And the answer won’t come until October.

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