Following their victory in the 2024-25 College Football National Championship against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday, January 20, the Ohio State Buckeyes are working hard to retain as many of their eligible players as possible. With the season concluding after their seventh national title, players from both the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish have five days to decide whether to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal.
According to Jeremy Birmingham, an Ohio State recruiting expert for Rivals and host of THE Podcast, schools like the Oregon Ducks and Texas Longhorns quickly targeted sophomore wide receiver Carnell Tate, hoping to entice him to transfer. Despite rumors of significant NIL offers from other programs, Tate announced on Friday, January 24, that he would remain with the Buckeyes.
“We’ve seen schools—Oregon, Texas, et cetera—going after players like Carnell Tate. And I don’t usually want to name names, but since it’s already out there, we can talk about it,” Birmingham said on his podcast.
Birmingham argued that Tate’s decision to stay reflects the eventual balancing of NIL offers and a return to factors like coaching and player development being key to program fit. “It will get to a point where everyone is offering similar amounts. And then, the things that used to matter—relationships, coaching, development—will matter again. Right now, that’s just not the case,” Birmingham explained.
In the 2025 season, Tate recorded 733 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 52 receptions, including a 100-yard performance against Nebraska on just four catches. However, in the Buckeyes’ 41-21 Rose Bowl victory over Oregon, Tate had a quiet game with just one catch for 10 yards. Looking ahead, Tate is expected to play a critical role in Ohio State’s young receiving corps alongside true freshman Jeremiah Smith.
Speculation about Oregon’s interest in Tate gained traction after Ducks quarterback Dante Moore posted a cryptic Instagram story featuring one of Tate’s posts on Thursday, January 23. Additionally, fans pointed to the fact that Tate’s partner, Kate Fuetterer, is a redshirt junior forward for Oregon’s women’s soccer team as a potential draw for the receiver to transfer.
Despite these rumors, Tate reaffirmed his commitment to Ohio State. He retweeted a photo posted by the Buckeyes Football account celebrating their championship victory and responded to posts on X (formerly Twitter), confirming his allegiance to the program.
Although Oregon’s pursuit of Tate has not been officially confirmed, the Ducks’ aggressive transfer portal strategy—bringing in 10 players, including seven four-star recruits—has fueled speculation that they are actively targeting top talent.
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