Eric Boggs
Former Ohio State special teams coordinator Parker Fleming is on the move once again, adding another chapter to a coaching career that began in Columbus more than a decade ago. After spending the 2025 season as an offensive analyst at Oregon, Fleming will join the Kentucky coaching staff in 2026, following Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, who accepted the Wildcats’ head coaching position earlier this month. Fleming’s path through the profession has been steady and wide-ranging, beginning as a graduate assistant at Ohio State from 2012–13, moving through James Madison, Texas State, and eventually returning to Ohio State in 2018 before earning the role of special teams coordinator in 2021, a position he held through the 2023 season. His reunion with Stein in Lexington reflects both his experience and the respect he’s built across multiple programs.
While Fleming’s next step reflects the upward mobility of Ohio State’s coaching tree, the player side of the Buckeye ledger remains active as well, particularly with the winter transfer portal window opening January 2. Ohio State historically avoids heavy roster churn, aided by NIL stability and Ryan Day’s recruiting profile, but several former Buckeyes are once again on the move, underscoring how fluid the modern college football landscape has become.
One of the most notable names re-entering the portal is running back Dallan Hayden. A breakout freshman for Ohio State in 2022 with 553 rushing yards and five touchdowns, Hayden’s role quickly diminished the following year before he transferred to Colorado. His time with Deion Sanders’ program never fully took off, as he totaled 196 rushing yards and one touchdown in 2024 and followed that with 326 yards this past season. Across four collegiate seasons, Hayden has accumulated 1,185 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, and now heads into the portal with one year of eligibility remaining. For Buckeye fans, the immediate connection is South Florida and Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, with speculation that a change of scenery and competition level could offer Hayden the fresh start he needs before pursuing a professional career.
Former Ohio State receiver Noah Rogers is also looking for a new home after re-entering the portal for the second time. After transferring from Columbus to NC State following the 2023 season, Rogers became a steady contributor for the Wolfpack, recording 68 receptions for 919 yards and three touchdowns over two years. While he was never the focal point of NC State’s offense, Rogers proved he can play at the Power Four level. With two years of eligibility remaining, his next stop likely comes with the expectation of increased involvement in the passing game, something that was difficult to secure in Columbus behind Ohio State’s loaded wide receiver depth.
Quarterback Air Noland rounds out the trio of former Buckeyes back in the portal. A highly regarded 2024 signee who once carried top-ten quarterback status nationally, Noland’s path has been defined by crowded depth charts. After Ohio State added Julian Sayin and Will Howard—who went on to lead the Buckeyes to a national championship—Noland transferred to South Carolina, where he spent this season backing up LaNorris Sellers. With Sellers returning, Noland is again seeking opportunity, now entering the portal for the third time in as many seasons. His solid spring showing in Columbus hinted at potential, but his future now points toward a program where immediate playing time is more realistic, perhaps at the lower end of the ACC, Big 12, or even the Sun Belt.
Taken together, Fleming’s new SEC opportunity and the renewed movement of Hayden, Rogers, and Noland illustrate the constant motion surrounding college football and that for some former Buckeyes, the grass isn’t always greener when leaving Columbus. For the Buckeyes, the roster decisions of the past two seasons have clearly paid off, as they remain college football’s standard over the last 13 months. For those who once wore scarlet and gray, the journey continues, each searching for the right place to finish their careers while Ohio State presses forward at the sport’s highest level.
