Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes have watched 30 players exit while adding just 11. With quarterback help on the agenda, Day has now zeroed in on Colorado Buffaloes’ transfer signal-caller. Ironically, it’s the same name sitting atop the LSU Tigers’ wish list. 

“Source: LSU is expected to host Colorado QB Ryan Staub on a visit later this week,” reported Locked on LSU analyst Matt Moscona on January 13. 

Kiffin and Co. are now waiting for the transfer portal recruiting dead period to end on January 14. After that, the Tigers will be opening the doors to welcome Ryan Staub for a visit later in the weekend.

The quarterback depth on Day’s squad was reduced when Lincoln Kienholz entered the portal. With Julian Sayin locked in as the 2026 starter, Tavien St. Clair as the projected backup, and freshman Luke Fahey completing the group, the Buckeyes enter spring with only three scholarship quarterbacks.

Day has long preferred a veteran presence in the quarterback room, which is why Eli Brickhandler was added last year and Maryland’s Justyn Martin was selected from the portal this year. But it looks like Day is not done.

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A member of Deion Sanders’ 2023 recruiting haul, Staub has spent the past three seasons in Boulder waiting his turn as a backup. He completed 23 of 40 pass attempts for 254 yards and a touchdown in 2023. After taking a redshirt in 2024, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback finally earned more snaps in 2025. 

Day’s latest target finished the season completing 30 of 55 passes for 427 yards, resulting in three passing touchdowns, but also four interceptions. Not much of a dual threat, Staub ran 19 times for 30 yards and a touchdown.

But the chase to land Staub will not be an easy one for Ohio State. Along with LSU, the Buckeyes are competing with the Kentucky Wildcats and the Cincinnati Bearcats. Staub was buried in Colorado’s depth chart, and a move to Day’s Ohio State wouldn’t necessarily alter that reality.

The Buckeyes provide a championship winning team’s environment and competition with five-star St. Clair for the No. 2 job behind Sayin. However, the starting opportunities appear to be limited.

Meanwhile, Kiffin has also signed Elon redshirt freshman Landen Clark. So, LSU also does not offer starting opportunities. Even though Kentucky offers an SEC schedule, the arrival of Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey likely leaves Staub stuck in another backup role. 

In that case, Ryan Day’s real threat in the Staub race is Cincinnati. With Brendan Sorsby headed to Texas Tech, the Bearcats present the transfer quarterback with an opportunity that none of the others do. A chance to become a starter. 

Despite the stiff competition for Staub’s commitment, Ohio State continues to build a program that makes it hard for any recruit to say no.

Ryan Day’s program flexes NFL success

This season, the NFL is running heavy with former Buckeyes.

“All eight teams advancing to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs have at least one former Ohio State player on their rosters,” reported Ohio State football beat writer Dan Hope. 

Interestingly, in the pro league, most of them will be on opposing teams. For instance, Denver Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper, Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud, Seattle Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba, among others. Such a presence in the NFL is also a major selling point to get a transfer portal recruit to choose Columbus.

Even though there is a massive gap between the players that Day added and lost to the portal, the head coach is now going full throttle. On January 12, the Buckeyes dealt double blows by landing a pair of transfers from the Crimson Tide. 

Ohio State secured significant defensive commitments in lineman James Smith and edge rusher Qua Russaw. Smith was widely viewed as the top defensive tackle on the board, while Russaw emerged as one of the premier edge prospects available.

Russaw played linebacker in Tuscaloosa, but is expected to slide into a defensive end role in Columbus. Smith, meanwhile, addresses a far more pressing need inside, as the Buckeyes were forced to reload at defensive tackle following Kayden McDonald’s departure to the NFL.

Ryan Day is riding high after the recruiting steal from Bama. But the next test is whether Ryan Staub signs on without a guaranteed shot at the starting role.