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Ohio State lands Phillip Daniels from transfer portal: How former Minnesota OL fits
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- Ohio State lands Phillip Daniels from transfer portal: How former Minnesota OL fits
Former Minnesota offensive lineman Phillip Daniels is transferring to Ohio State .
Daniels signed his paperwork with the school on Wednesday, becoming the Buckeyes ' first transfer portal pickup since the winter window opened last week and helping them address one of their biggest holes on the roster for next year.
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He started at right tackle for the Golden Gophers for the last four games of the regular season.
Daniels moved up the depth chart amid injuries that prompted the Golden Gophers to reshuffle their offensive line, making his first start in a win at Illinois on Nov. 2.
In his four starts, he at times showed inexperience as a redshirt freshman, drawing three penalties, including two false starts, as well as promise as a developing lineman. He allowed only one sack while playing 300 snaps in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.
The recruiting websites 247Sports and On3 considered one of the better available transfer tackles since he put his name in the portal on Monday. He was ranked as high as the No. 4 tackle by 247Sports.
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Daniels has the typical size for a tackle. Minnesota listed him at 6 feet 5 and 315 pounds this season.
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Why OL Phillip Daniels picked Ohio State from transfer portal
This is a bit of a homecoming for Daniels, who is from Cincinnati .
He also attended Princeton High School where Paris Johnson Jr. spent his senior year in 2019 before joining the Buckeyes .
Princeton players Phillip Daniels (77), Blake Howard (11), Riley Woods (6) and Caleb Clark-Glover (1) walk out for the coin flip before the game against Colerain during the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown at Pat Mancuso Field on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022.
How Phillip Daniels will fit with Ohio State football's roster
Daniels fills an immediate need on the offensive line and should be in the mix to start at left or right tackle next year.
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The Buckeyes are poised to lose both of their starting tackles from this season between Josh Fryar and Josh Simmons .
Fryar is out of eligibility, and Simmons is expected to bypass his remaining year of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.
Donovan Jackson , who slid over from left guard to replace Simmons as the starting left tackle after he suffered a season-ending knee injury in October, is also a senior.
Ohio State football transfer targets
The Buckeyes have looked at filling needs on offense since the winter window opened on Dec. 9.
They hosted offensive linemen Ethan Onianwa of Rice and Josh Thompson of Northwestern in recent days, according to multiple reports.
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Former USC running back Quinten Joyner also took a visit last Friday.
When does transfer portal close?
The deadline for players to submit a notification to transfer to their school's compliance staff is Dec. 28.
If their teams remain in the College Football Playoff or participate in a bowl game at a later date, they have five days following the end of their postseason appearance to file paperwork.
This story has been updated.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com .
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football adds Phillip Daniels from transfer portal
