Ohio State football safety Ja'Had Carter reenters transfer portal

Ja'Had Carter has reentered the NCAA transfer portal after a year at Ohio State, The Dispatch confirmed Sunday night.

Carter was a starting safety for three seasons at Syracuse and an honorable mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in his last year with the Orange.

But he saw a more limited role with the Buckeyes and ended up being a backup last fall. Appearing in eight games, he had five tackles.

Injuries at times limited Carter, especially this past spring as he was seen unavailable for practices while wearing a walking boot on his right foot. He has one year of eligibility remaining, a result of the blanket waiver given to all players as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the transfer portal opened for a period of two weeks on April 16, the Buckeyes have not had much attrition.

Carter is only Ohio State’s third player to enter the portal during the spring window, which runs through Tuesday, following running back Dallan Hayden and safety Cedric Hawkins who put their names in the database on the first day it opened.

Between Carter and Hawkins, depth at safety could be a bit thinner as a result of their departures.

The Buckeyes project to have only seven safeties on scholarship for this fall, though linebacker Sonny Styles has experience at the position, having played it for the last two seasons, and there is room to add through the portal as well.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football safety Ja'Had Carter reenters transfer portal