Breaking down a huge transfer portal addition for Ohio State football

Ohio State football needs to improve on the defensive side of the ball and the Buckeyes added a key transfer Davison Igbinosun to help with that. 

In the two most important games of the Ohio State football season in 2022, the Buckeyes’ defense totally faltered, allowing 42 points to Georgia and 45 points to Michigan.

The loss to Michigan cost Ohio State a chance to regain the Big Ten championship, which they haven’t won since the COVID season of 2020. The loss to Georgia cost the Buckeyes the national championship because they couldn’t hold a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

One of the reasons for that was a really poor pass defense. Ohio State was better during the regular season but allowed three touchdown passes of 45 yards or more against Michigan and the pass defense wasn’t much better against Stetson Bennett and UGA.

One player isn’t going to make all the difference but adding one of the top players in the transfer portal won’t hurt and Ohio State football has done that with the commitment of Davison Igbinosun, a freshman All-American cornerback at Ole Miss in 2022.

Breaking down commitment of Davison Igbinosun to Ohio State football

Igbinosun was ranked in the top 200 of the 247 sports composite rankings as a recruit but was stellar for the Rebels last season playing in all 13 games and notching 37 tackles, as well as five pass breakups.

Igbinosun (6-foot-2, 185) didn’t have any interceptions last season and was expected to be a top defender for Ole Miss again but when Chris Partridge and other Ole Miss assistants were let go, Igbinosun entered the transfer portal.

Michigan was heavily involved too which makes this recruiting win even more important for Ohio State football. The Wolverines have a clear need for a No. 2 cornerback opposite freshman Will Johnson, who also made the freshman All-American team.

Pairing Johnson and Igbinosun would have been huge for Michigan, yet the Buckeyes also hosted him for a visit, along with Michigan this past weekend, and Ohio State football won out.

We’ll see if it leads to a win next year over the Wolverines in The Game. But as we said, landing one of the top defenders left in the transfer portal certainly can’t hurt.