Nine Players Who Transferred to OSU This Offseason Were Four-Star Recruits in High School

Everyone’s journey to college football is at least a little bit different.

For some, it’s a rise through lower levels. Take UCO transfer receiver Terrill Davis, for example. He didn’t play organized football until his senior year of high school before going to UCO, becoming an undeniable talent and transferring to Oklahoma State. Or look at Nebraska transfer offensive lineman Grant Seagren. Seagren was a two-star tight end prospect who walked on at Nebraska to prove himself.

Then there are guys who recruiting services have tabbed as dudes back when they were in high school. Today, we’re going to take a look at some of those. There are nine players transferring to OSU who were considered four-star prospects in their respective 247Sports Composite rankings, and all but two of those guys play defense.

JK Johnson, Cornerback

Class: 2021
Rating: 0.9745
Class Rank: 50

Listed at 6-feet, 185 pounds on the Cowboys’ spring roster, Johnson had offers to just about any school he cared to go to coming out of De Smet Jesuit in St. Louis. He signed with Ohio State in a class that also featured Quinn Ewers, Jack Sawyer, Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson.

Johnson’s college career, to this point, has been plagued by injuries. He played in two games for the Buckeyes as a true freshman but missed time with a shoulder injury. As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Johnson played in 13 games and made five starts for Ohio State.

He then transferred to LSU but suffered a left leg fracture in his first fall camp with the Tigers that kept him out the entire 2023 season. He appeared in 10 of the Tigers’ games this past season.

Zaquan Patterson, Safety

Class: 2024
Rating: 0.9540
Class Rank: 93

One of the more recent portal additions for the Cowboys, Patterson had offers to Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Miami, Notre Dame, Texas and others coming out of Chaminade-Madonna in south Florida and chose to stay close to home and play for the Hurricanes.

He played in all 13 of Miami’s games this past season as a true freshman and even made his first career start in the Hurricane’s Pop-Tarts Bowl against Iowa State. He finished his freshman season with 19 tackles and a trio of pass breakups.

Chandavian Bradley, Outside Linebacker

Class: 2023
Rating: 0.9436
Class Rank: 127

Bradley has seen both sides of the college football come-up. Coming out of Platte County High School in Missouri, Bradley had the likes of USC, Oregon, Oklahoma, Michigan, Tennessee, Miami, LSU and others pursuing him. He chose the Volunteers, but didn’t end up playing a game with Tennessee in 2023 before resurfacing in the junior college ranks at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas in 2024.

He made 23 tackles for the Dragons this past season, including six tackles for loss and a sack.

Jaylin Davies, Cornerback

Class: 2021
Rating: 0.9350
Class Rank: 152

Listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds on the Cowboys’ spring roster, Davies was a blue-chip recruit coming out of national power Mater Dei High School in California. He initially chose to play at Oregon over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, UCLA, USC and others. He redshirted for the Ducks during the 2021 season after playing in two games and recording three tackles against OU.

He then transferred back closer to home at UCLA, where he has played in all of the Bruins’ games over the past three seasons. His stint in LA finished with him recording 108 tackles, two tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups before transferring to OSU this offseason.

Wendell Gregory, Defensive End

Class: 2024
Rating: 0.9262
Class Rank: 179

Coming out of Marietta, Georgia, Gregory was the No. 16 edge rusher in the 2024 class. He signed with South Carolina over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Michigan, Tennessee, USC and others.

He redshirted with the Gamecocks last season while playing in two games. He recorded a tackle against Akron.

DeAndre Boykins, Safety

Class: 2021
Rating: 0.9249
Class Rank: 181

Coming out of Central Cabarrus High School in North Carolina, Boykins chose his home-state Tarheels over offers from Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State and others.

He played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2021, making four tackles. Boykins took a big step forward in 2022, starting in all 14 of North Carolina’s games, where he made 67 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and eight pass breakups.

Unfortunately, Boykins suffered a knee injury in fall camp the next year forcing him to miss the entire season. He returned in 2024, playing in 10 games where he made six tackles and broke up a pass.

Hauss Hejny, Quarterback

Class: 2024
Rating: 0.9075
Class Rank: 295

Hejny held offers to Oklahoma State, Baylor, Ole Miss, Nebraska and others coming out of Aledo High School, but he had family ties to TCU, where his dad played football and his mom was on the basketball and track and field teams. Growing up, he was a fan of the Horned Frogs, and that’s where he signed his letter of intent.

He played in four games this past season while maintaining a redshirt, but he didn’t throw a pass in that time. He did, though, run 15 times for 65 yards.

Mordecai McDaniel, Safety

Class: 2020
Rating: 0.8963
Class Rank: 354

The 2025 season won’t be McDaniel’s first in a Todd Grantham defense. Coming out of St. John’s in Washington DC, McDaniel signed with Florida while Grantham was coordinated the Gators. He also had offers to Alabama, Notre Dame, Tennessee, LSU, Penn State, Michigan, Oklahoma and others.

He played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2020, tallying four tackles. McDaniel played in all 13 of the Gators’ games in 2021 and made one start. That season, he had 15 tackles and an interception. He then went to Iowa Western Community College for two years but didn’t play football. He reemerged at Charlotte in 2024, where he played in all 12 of the 49ers’ games, starting four of the final five games, and finished the season with 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and three pass breakups.

Sam Jackson V, Wide Receiver

Class: 2021
Rating: 0.8929
Class Rank: 374

Jackson might be the most interesting of all of these guys because he was a four-star quarterback coming out of Naperville Central High School in Illinois. He chose TCU over offers from Oregon, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Iowa State, Kansas State and others.

He played in two games as a true freshman for the Horned Frogs in 2021, completing the one pass he threw (against Oklahoma State) for 62 yards. Jackson appeared in five games for TCU in 2022, throwing for 63 yards, running for 64 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

Jackson then transferred to Cal, where he played in the first five games of the Bears’ 2023 season. He threw for 556 yards and five touchdowns before suffering an injury that kept him out for the remainder of the year.

Then Jackson transferred to Auburn and made the move from QB to wide receiver. He played in nine games for the Tigers, where he made two catches for 63 yards and a touchdown before transferring to Oklahoma State and making noise in the spring game.

Other 247Sports Composite ratings for reference:
Kendal Daniels (2021): 0.9578
Talyn Shettron (2022): 0.9505
Tylan Wallace (2017): 0.9442
CJ Moore (2018): 0.9388
Spencer Sanders (2018): 0.9311