It has been a rough 24 hours for Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
At the start of Wednesday, they were one of the odds-on favorites to repeat as national champions in the College Football Playoff. A meeting with Miami on New Year’s Eve was supposed to be more of a teaser for what was to come in the semifinals and finals instead of a climax.
At the end of Thursday, the Buckeyes are out of the playoffs, several players announced they are entering the transfer portal on Friday, and they have one of their coaching staff members.
Michael Hunter Jr. was a defensive backs assistant for the past two years with the Buckeyes and will be leaving for the SEC, as he’s expected to sign with the Tennessee Volunteers.
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He previously coached at Tulsa, where he led the secondary group for the Golden Hurricanes’ cornerbacks. Prior to that, he helped out with the cornerbacks at Oklahoma State in the Big 12.
Hunter Jr. previously played at Indiana, which on Thursday blew out Alabama in the Crimson Tide’s worst loss by point differential in the 21st century.
Tennessee will hope that the addition of Hunter Jr. can bolster their ranks heading into a tough 2026, after having a realtively dissapointing 2025 following a 2024 season where they were looked upon as a title favorite in the CFP.
Both Ohio State and Tennessee will have no rest, even out of the Playoff, in the coming two weeks, as the transfer portal officially opens for 15 days beginning Jan. 2, 2026.
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