Ohio State transfer portal rumors: 6 QBs the Buckeyes need with McCord gone

1. Cam Ward (Washington State)

Cam Ward should be the No. 1 target in the transfer portal for the Ohio State Buckeyes. And frankly, I don't think it's even a debate.

I would probably have Riley Leonard as the top target, but all indications -- including a "do not contact" stipulation as he entered the portal -- are that he's already basically locked up to go to Notre Dame. The same is true of former 4-star Aidan Chiles, who appears almost certain to follow Jonathan Smith to Michigan State.

That leaves us with Ward and it's not hard to see why. After transferring to Washington State from Incarnate Word, all he did was put up big-time numbers for the Cougars. Over two seasons and 25 games with Wazzu, the quarterback threw for 6,968 yards, 48 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while adding 13 rushing touchdowns as well.

When you watch the film of Cam Ward, you see a player who can make the top-tier, elite-level plays with both his arm and legs. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of instances where you wonder what was going through his head before he made a throw or a decision.

That's a risk worth taking for Ward, especially for Ohio State. What are the chances that Ward's poor decisions were oftentimes the construct of being by far the best player on the offense and trying to force the issue? To me, pretty high. WIth the Buckeyes, that becomes less of an issue as he can trust the talent around him more ardently and not force the issue quite as often.

The talent of Ward is immense and he's my best quarterback in the transfer portal, particularly for a surefire contender like Ohio State. Yes, all six of these targets would make sense, but Ward would be the one that would have me thinking that the Buckeyes are all the way back to title contention (and beating Michigan too).