Ohio State's Jesse Legree Transfer Hopes Dealt Major Update

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FORT COLLINS, COLORADO - OCTOBER 3: Jesse Legree #12 of the Oregon State Beavers runs before scoring a first quarter touchdown against the Colorado State Rams at Canvas Stadium on October 3, 2026 in Fort Collins, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

The Ohio State Buckeyes currently feature the No. 1 wide receiver in the country, and likely the top player in all of college football: Jeremiah Smith.

Smith is all but certain to leave for the NFL this season, and he’ll have a case to be the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. That will leave a void with the Buckeyes.

Ohio State recruits the wide receiver position incredibly well, and so the guys OSU already has on campus could prove capable of at least partially filling the gaps left by Smith.

But there was also an underlying idea as this season has gone on: What if Jesse Legree could transfer to Ohio State?

Legree is a true freshman at a different OSU — Oregon State — who was an unheralded recruit but has taken the country by storm.

At this point, every Beavers opponent knows what’s coming, and Legree is dominating anyway.

That would make Legree seem like an obvious transfer portal candidate, and if he made it to the portal, all the big-name programs would come calling. You’d think he’d be interested in a WR factory like Ohio State.

The Buckeyes got some bad news on that possibility on Tuesday, though.

Jesse Legree Transfer Portal Update

GettyFORT COLLINS, COLORADO – OCTOBER 3: Jesse Legree #12 of the Oregon State Beavers celebrates with Eric Olsen #80 after his first quarter touchdown at Canvas Stadium on October 3, 2026 in Fort Collins, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)

It turns out that Legree may not end up in the portal after all.

This is what ESPN’s Pete Thamel posted on X on Tuesday morning:

“Sources: Oregon State sophomore QB Braden Atkinson, the country’s leading passer, has signed a deal to return to Oregon State for the 2027 season. OSU will have two of the country’s top playmakers next year, as the country’s leading receiver, Jesse Legree, also re-signed.”

Atkinson has been great, too, but it’s a bit surprising that Thamel tucked the Legree news in there at the end of his post.

Regardless, it suggests Legree is staying loyal to the program that gave him a chance, at least for another year.

Things change quickly in modern college football, but Ohio State seems out of the running for now.

Replacing Jeremiah Smith

GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 31: Jeremiah Smith #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on against the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 31, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

The reality for the Buckeyes is that they won’t replace Smith with one player, anyway. He’s too good.

Ohio State’s roster next year will have to provide more of an all-around threat across the field, rather than the “just throw it up to Jeremiah” style of offense. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

It would’ve created quite the hype if the Buckeyes could go after the country’s leading receiver, though, and that possibility appears to have fizzled out.