Josh Thompson transfer portal: Top 3 landing spots for Northwestern OL ft. Ohio State
Northwestern Wildcats offensive lineman Josh Thompson, has been one of the names that has drawn interest heading into the transfer portal. The Fenton, Michigan, native outplayed his recruiting projection at Evanston and has reportedly been approached by a handful of Power 5 conference schools already.
The junior was the eight best ranked guard in the Big Ten and SEC combined, and could help improve an offensive line just with his arrival. According to 247 Sports, programs such as Michigan, LSU, Florida State, Ohio State, Michigan State, Tennessee, South Carolina, Missouri and Auburn have already expressed interest in the Fenton High School product.
Here are the schools that make the most sense for Josh Thompson to transfer.
Josh Thompson transfer portal: Top 3 landing spots for Northwestern OL
#3. Tennessee Volunteers
With four senior starters along the offensive line in 2024, few schools will have as much turnover as the Vols. More importantly, there is little depth in the interior, as Shamurad Umarov is the only returning guard from this season.
That opens the door for Josh Thompson to have an impact immediately, as he could become the anchor on that offensive line. Tennessee also had their share of struggles in pass protection this season. They allowed 26 sacks in the year, or 2.17 sacks per game, ranked 72 in the country. The rushing offense did perform well, with 232 yards per game.
The Volunteers did land top offensive line prospect, David Sanders Jr., but he is projected to play tackle, while Nic Moore, a 247 Sports 4-star prospect will join the interior of the line. With as many changes along the offensive line, Josh Thompson’s experience would come in handy.
#2. Michigan Wolverines
There are many situations that would make Michigan the frontrunner to land Josh Thompson. The Michigan native could be looking to move back home after three years in Evanston. From the Wolverines side, they have to replace the left side of the line, as guard Josh Priebe and tackle Myles Hinton will be leaving.
Thompson would be following the same path to Ann Arbor as Priebe, who transferred as a graduate. While the Wolverines have some depth along the line, their offensive performance in 2024 was disappointing
One of the main issues is they could not establish the run, a staple of the program, and could only manage 160.7 yards per game on the ground, no. 69 in the nation. Josh Thompson could help find some stability in the running game.
#1. Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes have had to reshuffle their offensive line multiple times this year, and after rushing for 3 yards per rush versus Michigan, it’s apparent the team needs more fixes along the line. All-American guard Donovan Jackson was moved to tackle earlier in the year and at this point the Buckeyes are starting two sophomores (center Carson Hinzman and guard Tegra Tshabola) and a freshman (Austin Siereveld) in the interior of the line.
Tshabola, in particular, has looked shaky, while Hinzman is probably better suited at guard. For a team with national championship aspirations seemingly every year, having questions along the offensive line is not a good place to start.
Despite their vaunted roster, Ohio State is only ranked no. 36 in total offense. Ohio State reportedly has reached out to Josh Thompson already, and the former Wildcat could be the answer Chip Kelly needs to improve at the line of scrimmage for the 2025 season.