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Ohio State football is losing notable defensive pieces to the NFL Draft this weekend. But the defending national champs scored a huge college football transfer portal win Wednesday. And one from North Carolina.
The Buckeyes secured a new commitment from Beau Atkinson, with Hayes Fawcett of On3 revealing the news. OSU head coach Ryan Day doesn't just land a high-profile defender. New Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick loses a key defender from his first UNC team.
Atkinson piled 54 total tackles and collected 11 sacks across two seasons in Chapel Hill. He forced one fumble too.
He's bringing intriguing size to the trenches too for the national champs. Atkinson comes with an impressive and towering 6-foot-6, 260-pound frame.
How North Carolina transfer fits Ohio State defensive room
Again, Atkinson's arrival offsets some official pending losses this week.
The Buckeyes will watch members of their stout defense land on an NFL roster. Jack Sawyer is among the departures. Sawyer is revered by Buckeyes fans for his scoop-and-score on Quinn Ewers. The edge rusher forced the Texas quarterback to cough up the ball on a sack. Sawyer rumbled 83 yards back to the end zone to seal Ohio State's 28-14 Cotton Bowl win at AT&T Stadium.
He's not the lone trench loss. Ohio State is losing the opposite star end J.T. Tuimoloau. The 6-foot-4, 265-pounder is projected to fall as high as round two on Friday in the draft. He ranked third among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) linemen with 21.5 tackles for a loss.
Atkinson immediately earns a strong chance to take over for one or the other departing edge rusher. He emerged as a four-star transfer portal entry by 247Sports. Atkinson committed to UNC for its 2022 class — which came during a time Mack Brown coached the ‘Heels.
He'll no longer become a part of the Belichick era in Chapel Hill. But he heads to the national champs with a chance to chase his own ring.
