Former Alabama defensive lineman James Smith has committed to Ohio State, On3’s Pete Nakos reports. Smith left Tuscaloosa after three seasons, entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal. He now makes a trip up North to Columbus after deciding to play for the Buckeyes. A couple of other schools were involved in Smith’s portal […]
Former Alabama defensive lineman James Smith has committed to Ohio State, On3’s Pete Nakos reports. Smith left Tuscaloosa after three seasons, entering his name in the NCAA transfer portal. He now makes a trip up North to Columbus after deciding to play for the Buckeyes.
A couple of other schools were involved in Smith’s portal recruitment. Ohio State got the first visit shortly after the New Year, shortly followed by Missouri and then Notre Dame. But Ryan Day‘s staff did enough to impress Smith and get him to commit.
Smith will enter the 2026 season with 37 games of experience under his belt. He totaled 50 tackles in an Alabama uniform with 10.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks. Career highs in tackles, TFLs, and sacks did come during the 2025 campaign, helping a stout Crimson Tide unit in 15 games played.
Even so, there still feels to be a level Smith is looking to unlock. Just look at his high school recruitment, where Smith was a five-star prospect coming out of Montgomery (AL) Carver. He was the No. 24 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Ohio State is hoping to find another gear for Smith in what projects to be his final season of eligibility.
“James flashes,” Alabama DC Kane Wommack said during the season. “He’s a very athletic player. He does some really good things. Needs to become more consistent. A number of our guys are the same way, I’m not necessarily singling him out, but there were some plays he particularly left out on the field, a number of our guys left out on the field, and so that’s exciting from a number of ways, because he very productive on a number of plays. But there were also opportunities that we left out there on the field. Those are the things I’d like to continue to see from him and a number of guys on our defense.”
Ohio State appears to just be getting started in the portal. Landing Smith is a great addition for the Buckeyes, looking to maintain its high level of play in 2026.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Category: General Sports
