Offensive tackle Jordan Seaton has entered the transfer portal after two seasons with Colorado. Upon his entry to the portal, various programs have expressed interest in signing him up for the 2026 season, including LSU, Miami, and Oregon.
Why Did One Analyst Urge Ohio State To Immediately Pursue Colorado Transfer Jordan Seaton?
Seaton brings significant experience and was rated among the top offensive tackles over the past two years. A sports analyst urged Ohio State coach Ryan Day to join the race for Seaton, despite returning four linemen and the player’s potential multi-million-dollar asking price.
As of Jan. 18, Ohio State has secured the commitments of 16 transfers, including five four-star transfers in tight end Hunter Welcing (Northwestern), safeties Earl Little Jr (Florida State) and Terry Moore (Duke), defensive lineman James Smith (Alabama), and edge rusher Qua Russaw (Alabama). Head coach Ryan Day also added a couple of receivers and a kicker to boost their team.
Despite Ohio State’s transfer activity, the team still lacks a five-star impact player to cement them as preseason favorites for 2026. FOX Sports national college football analyst RJ Young argues Seaton could fill this critical gap, given his standout performance for Colorado.
Young noted Seaton’s pass protection as a freshman in Colorado helped Shedeur Sanders throw for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns, enabling wide receivers Travis Hunter and LaJohntay Wester to record a combined 27 touchdowns and 2,189 yards. In 2024-25, Seaton helped the Buffaloes to nine wins and earned Freshman All-American honors and All-Big 12 honorable mention.
In his sophomore year, Seaton started nine games, again excelling at tackle and earning All-Big 12 Second Team recognition after allowing just two sacks in 328 pass-blocking snaps.
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Young highlighted that Seaton is drawing interest from top SEC teams like Mississippi State and LSU, as well as an ACC program and Miami, this year’s national championship finalist. However, Young argued the Big Ten may be even more appealing, emphasizing that Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana have made three straight national title appearances.
“The SEC has not succeeded in getting a team into the national championship for the last three years. So if you’re Jordan Seaton and you’re looking at LSU or Mississippi State, maybe you take that into account,” the analyst said.
Sources: Colorado transfer offensive tackle Jordan Seaton is set to visit Oregon on Monday. He’s at LSU today and has already visited Miami and Mississippi State. He’s ESPN’s No. 4 overall player in the NCAA transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/QnPgTazBM4
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 18, 2026
Young also addressed quarterback situations, explaining Miami might attract Seaton by securing pass-heavy Duke transfer Darian Mensah, or LSU could appeal because of quarterback Sam Leavitt.
Meanwhile, Oregon coach Dan Lanning has started replacing a majority of the offensive line with starting tackles Isaiah World and Alex Harkey, as well as left guard Emmanuel Pregnon, exhausting their eligibility.
Center Iapani “Poncho” Laloulu returned to school and forgo the NFL draft, and the Ducks are trying to pursue Seaton at left tackle and are very much interested in spending on him to help quarterback Dante Moore win a national title before going to the NFL.
ESPN reporter Pete Thamel wrote on social media that Oregon will try to lure the Colorado offensive lineman in a meeting scheduled on Monday. Lanning and offensive line coach A’lique Terry have been successful in landing starting offensive tackles in the portal in back-to-back years and they hope Seaton will be the Ducks’ third straight big-time pickup.
Weighing all factors, Young identified Ohio State as an ideal landing spot for Seaton due to the team’s strong quarterback Julian Sayin, talented receivers Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate, Brandon Inniss, and versatile running back Bo Jackson.
Young insists Day must prioritize landing Seaton because his addition would strengthen Ohio State’s offensive line with proven experience, potentially transforming the Buckeyes’ prospects.
“When a player like Jordan Seaton comes along and is available, if you have to overpay him compared to the rest of your offensive line, I think that’s what you should do,” Young said. “I also think this is why you would bring a guy like Seaton in, so that they can get some buy in here too if they’re on a visit.”
Seaton has the opportunity to play left tackle if he chooses Ohio State and eventually move Austin Siereveld to right tackle or right guard if he returns next season. This will also allow Carson Hinzman to stay at center, Luke Montgomery to stick at left guard, and Philip Daniels to play beside Siereveld at right guard.
Day’s immediate challenge is to coordinate with Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork to aggressively recruit Jordan Seaton and bolster the offensive line for a championship run.
