Was the Cotton Bowl loss the string that unraveled Ryan Day’s Ohio State? The Buckeyes appear to be dropping out of the program one after another, particularly with the significant staffing changes. Day lost a talented player in Aaron Scott, who leaves after a sluggish career at Ohio State.

Tennessee has emerged as a probable destination for the cornerback, who spent two seasons with Ohio State. Scott might be leaning into his bond with former assistant DBs coach Michael Hunter, who was hired away by Josh Heupel. The Vols will secure a major win if Scott commits, especially since the defense is undergoing a major overhaul right now.

At Knoxville, Scott will also get to play under new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. The latter was OSU’s DC in 2024. Moreover, the CB room has enough room for Scott to make a mark. Starting CB Rickey Gibson III entered the portal, leaving Ty Redmond as the only experienced name in the depth chart.

Scott was offered by Tennessee out of high school, but nothing came of it. Now that there are some great former OSU staffers here, Tennessee becomes a really great landing spot for the CB.

Scott was recruited as a 5-star cornerback, ranked the No. 2 safety in the country, and the No. 1 Ohio prospect. He came in with a lot of potential and was even compared to star Cleveland CB Greg Newsome II. But at Columbus, he was moved to special teams duty.

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Injuries made up most of his time as a Buckeye, further limiting him from the field. Scott played only 106 defensive snaps this season. He will leave with 11 total tackles and one pass defended. Scott was named Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season.

Had he stayed, he would have been facing a lot of competition for a bigger role. Veterans Davison Igbinosun and Lorenzo Styles Jr. will be graduating, but Jermaine Matthews Jr. has yet to announce his plans. Then there’s rising freshman Devin Sanchez, who will definitely get a big role. If Matthews returns, he will join Sanchez as a priority cornerback for next season.

Scott becomes the 13 Ohio State player to enter the transfer portal this year. With his departure, the secondary has become very shaky.

Aaron Scott joins Bryce West as the 2nd cornerback to leave Ohio State

A day after the Cotton Bowl, Ryan Day lost CB Bryce West to the portal. Just like Scott, West also couldn’t break through the crowded secondary, despite being a top-ranked player. He played 18 games in his two-year stint with the Buckeyes. West recorded 10 total tackles, one defended pass, and one forced fumble.

West would’ve been the best option to replace Lorenzo Styles Jr. at nickelback, which is why his exit is also worrying for Ryan Day. Now, Ohio State is left with Sanchez and Matthews as the most reliable options. Remaining CBs Miles Lockhart, Jordyn Woods, and Bukari Miles Jr. are still inexperienced. That means 2026 signees Jay Timmons and Jordan Thomas will now be sharing a larger workload than expected.

With Bryce West and Aaron Scott, the 2025 Buckeye secondary looked like the best in the country. Their departure presents a worrying picture of Ohio State after being knocked down by both Indiana and Miami. The losses have been so detrimental that the program struggles to retain its local recruits. Ryan Day will now have to rely on the transfer portal to replace the lost talent.