In the modern age of college football, the transfer portal has become pivotal in building a football team. For Ohio, who saw vast roster turnover following the 2023 season, its additions from the transfer portal have the potential to make an immediate impact on a roster that will look very different in 2024.
The Bobcats’ successful 2023 season was anchored by what was one of the best defenses in the country. With talent all over the field and defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky at the helm, Ohio dominated opposing offenses, finishing 6th in the country in scoring defense. Unfortunately for Ohio coach Tim Albin and his team, the defense from 2023 saw many key departures, starting at the top with Nowinsky leaving to become Memphis’ defensive line coach.
With the departure of key players like Bryce Houston, Keye Thompson, Torrie Cox and Rayyan Buell, the defense had to hit the portal hard, bringing in 13 players to contribute to a very different unit.
On offense, Ohio targeted its receiving corps and offensive line through the transfer portal, adding at least four new players at each position. Ohio’s offense will look drastically different than it has in years past given the departure of star quarterback Kurtis Rourke, as well as the team's leaders in receiving and rushing yards.
Though the players that Ohio lost are difficult to replace, the team's additions via the portal could provide a positive outlook on the program's future.
Defensive Transfers:
Michael Mack, Wisconsin, CB
Ohio landed a Big Ten corner that never actually played a snap in the conference as a member of Wisconsin. Mack was ruled ineligible for the 2023 season by the NCAA after his transfer to Wisconsin from Air Force was ruled to be outside of the allotted transfer windows. In his last season of action for Air Force, Mack started 12 games and logged 28 total tackles and an interception.
Reise Collier, UAB, LB
Collier has had an up-and-down college career so far. The linebacker out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, committed to Coffeyville Community College out of high school before transferring to UAB following his freshman year, where he played five games in his junior year before using his redshirt in 2022. Collier did not play in 2023 and will be coming into 2024 as a graduate transfer looking to make an impact at a position where Ohio lost two cornerstones in Bryce Houston and Keye Thompson.
CJ Doggette, Cincinnati, DL
Doggette is transferring to Ohio for his redshirt sophomore season. In his redshirt freshman season with Cincinnati, he appeared in one game against Eastern Kentucky where he recorded a tackle. Coming out of high school he was a top 30 recruit in Ohio after a successful career at Pickerington Central. Doggette adds much-needed depth on the defensive line for the Bobcats.
Ben McNaboe, North Dakota, DE
McNaboe will be well-traveled by the time he arrives in Ohio. The Minnesota native spent his first two years in college at his in-state university, Minnesota, and then transferred to North Dakota for his junior and senior seasons. He led North Dakota in sacks his junior year and was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s first team in his senior year.
Jacob Proche, Coastal Carolina, CB
The brother of the Cleveland Browns’ return man, James Proche, comes to Athens as a graduate transfer from Coastal Carolina. In Proche’s fifth year, he played in just four games, a downturn from his very productive senior year, where he played in all 13 games, logging 31 tackles and an interception.
Blake Leake, Bucknell, LB
Bucknell’s 2024 team captain will join the Bobcats for his fifth year of college football as a graduate transfer. He started six games at linebacker before missing the remainder of the team’s games with injury. In his six games of action, he tallied an impressive 53 tackles with 3.5 coming for a loss of yardage.
Dustin Johnson, Northern Colorado, DB
Before transferring to Ohio, Johnson played all of his college football in Colorado, first at the University of Colorado before heading to Northern Colorado. In his last year with the Bears, he stuffed the stat sheet, leading the team in tackles with 85, as well as notching an interception and fumble recovery.
Jaylen Johnson, Memphis, DB
Johnson, a Cincinnati native, has spent time at both Ohio State and Memphis in his collegiate career. The former four-star recruit has only played in six games in his college career so far, one with Ohio State and five with Memphis in 2023. Expect Johnson to see the most playing time of his career with Ohio if he can stay healthy.
Nathan Hale, Iowa Western CC, DL
A two-time national champion at the Junior College level, Hale will bring a lot of championship experience with him to Athens. In his second year at Iowa Western Community College, he played in 10 total games, racking up nine tackles and a sack in his time en route to a national championship.
LJ Shumpert, NW Mississippi CC, DB
Shumpert, another player coming to Athens from the Junior College level, will be entering his junior year in the 2024 season. He appeared in nine games for the Rangers while logging 12 tackles. He also had a career-high of three passes defended as a sophomore.
Sinn Brennan, SDSU, DL
Brennan, a redshirt freshman, will follow his defensive ends coach, Kurt Mattix, from San Diego State to Ohio. Mattix joined the Ohio coaching staff after a four-year stint with the Aztecs as their defensive coordinator. Brennan will be coming along with him, playing in his first college season in Athens.
Cam Rice, West Liberty, DL
Rice dominated at the Division II level last season for West Liberty, a small school in his home state of West Virginia. In his 10 total games, Rice logged 36 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and two interceptions. His most productive game of the year came in the team’s finale against Wheeling, where he racked up 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two interceptions.
Marcel Walker-Burgess, Nevada, DE
Walker-Burgess comes to Athens after spending his past two seasons at Nevada, where he transferred after a successful season with Southern Connecticut State. The defensive end came into his own in his junior year with the Wolfpack, leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss with four and 6.5 respectively.
Offensive Transfers:
Eamonn Dennis, Michigan, WR
Ohio brings a reigning national champion into Athens with senior wide receiver Eamonn Dennis. Coming from the Univeristy of Michigan, Dennis brings winning experience and veteran presence into the Ohio locker room. In a three-year playing career at Michigan, Dennis appeared in 30 total games. Despite transferring to Ohio to play wide receiver, Dennis took all of his snaps at Michigan in a special teams role. Dennis is from Worcester, Massachusets, where he attended St. John's High School and was a 3-star recruit with 15 offers.
Eian Pugh, Illinois, WR
One of four receivers Ohio added this year through the transfer portal, Eian Pugh is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 175 pounds. Pugh was with the University of Illinois for two years before this season. Coming in as a redshirt sophomore, Pugh brings speed and physicality to a wide receiver room that lacks NCAA experience. Pugh is from Oak Park, Illinois, where he was a three-star recruit at Fenwick High School.
Carson Heidecker, Notre Dame College, OL
Offensive lineman Carson Heidecker is one of a bevy of Division II transfers who will be looking to make an impact for the Bobcats next season. Heidecker was a three-year starter and two-time First Team All-MEC selection at Notre Dame College in Euclid, Ohio, before the school closed after last season. Heidecker is from Columbia Station, Ohio, and will provide Ohio with some stable depth at the offensive line position.
Anthony Tyus III, Northwestern, RB
Ohio adds another power five talent in senior running back Anthony Tyus III. At Northwestern, Tyus appeared in 30 total games across a three-year career where he tallied 483 total rushing yards and three total touchdowns. Tyus joins a depleted but talented running back room at Ohio that lost Sieh Bengurra after last season but still holds young prospect, Ricky Hunt.
Coleman Owen, Northern Arizona, WR
Coleman Owen brings perhaps the most experience out of this round of transfers, having five years of steady playing time at the FCS level. Coming from Northern Arizona University, Owen has over 2,000 career receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns already. Having lost its top two receivers from the 2023 season, Owen could have an immediate impact on an offense that will look much different than it has in recent years.
Tigana Cisse, Idaho, OL
Tigana Cisse comes to Ohio looking to compete for a spot on an offensive line unit that has seen plenty of success in recent years. At the University of Idaho, Cisse was a pivotal part of the offensive line during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Cisse was a starter for five of his six appearances his freshman year and followed that up with a sophomore season where he saw playing time in 10 games. The 6-foot-3-inch offensive lineman is from Oakland, California, where he was a three-star recruit at McClymonds High School.
Jake Bruno, Saint Francis, TE
Ohio’s tight end room is one of many units that was decimated by the transfer portal after the 2023 football season. Tight end Jake Bruno could be an answer. Coming from FCS school Saint Francis University, Bruno comes to Ohio with two years of playing time to his name. During the 2023 season as a redshirt sophomore, Bruno had a breakout year with 10 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-6-inch tight end is from East Amherst, New York, where he played high school football at Williamsville High School. Bruno was a walk-on at Saint Francis and is now rated as a three-star transfer.
Trent Allen, Davenport University, OL
Another addition to the offensive line, Trent Allen, comes from the Division II level, where he earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention honors following his freshman season, starting in 10 games and helping Devenport Univeristy record one of its best offensive seasons in program history. Allen is from Windemere, Florida, where he attended Bishop Moore High School.
Max Rodarte, City College of San Francisco, WR
One of four receivers in the 2024 class, Max Rodarte jumps to the Divison I level after playing at City College of San Francisco, a community college. Rodarte recorded 403 receiving yards and four total touchdowns for San Francisco in his short stint with the team. Rodarte is from Sacramento, California, where he attended Capital Christian High School.
Zach Reiners, Centre College, OL
One of five offensive line transfers, Zach Reiners, brings in three years of experience at the Divison III level. Coming in as a graduate student, Reiners has appeared in 29 career games at the collegiate level with Centre College. Reiners is from Mount Washington Kentucky where he played high school football at Bullit East High School.
Nick Poulos, El Camino, QB
Ohio brought in one quarterback from the transfer portal: Nick Poulos, from El Camino College. Poulos has limited experience at the collegiate level so far, but his numbers were good in the two games he played. In two career games, Poulos has over 400 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. Poulos played high school football at Granite Bay High School in Granite Bay, California.
Ben Maldonado, Dodge City Comunity College, OL
Ben Maldonado is the final of a slew of new offensive line transfers from the community college level. In 2023, Maldonado earned an honorable mention on the All-Conference team for the Kansas Jayhawks Community College Conference. Maldonado is from Miami, Florida, where he played football at Champagnat High School.
Special Teams Transfers:
Colby Garfield, East Carolina, LS
Ohio’s only special teams transfer, Garfield, will be playing for his third college team in 2024 with the Bobcats. He started his career at Charlotte in 2020 and then stayed in the state when he transferred to East Carolina in 2022. Coming out of high school, Garfield was rated as a five-star long snapper according to Rubio Long Snapper. He was the highest ranked long snapped in North Carolina and was ranked 15th in the nation his senior year of high school.
