Ohio State quarterback Matthew Baldwin to transfer

UPDATE: After reports began to circulate that he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal, former Ohio State quarterback Matthew Baldwin confirmed via Twitter that he would be departing the the Buckeye program.

In a statement, Baldwin said, “My family and I have prayed and talked a lot about where I belong and what is best for me. In the end, we feel like it’d be better for me to step away from Ohio State.”

The Texas native mentioned how this spring had been difficult for him and that “this isn’t done out of anger of frustration, but I’m not just a football player.”

Speculation is that Baldwin will look to transfer closer to home.

Five days following Ohio State’s spring game, Ohio State football coach Ryan Day has reportedly confirmed to Lettermen Row’s Austin Ward, that redshirt-freshman quarterback Matthew Baldwin has requested to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal, opening up his options to explore taking his playing career to another program.

Baldwin missed the 2018 season recovering from knee surgery following an injury sustained in the final game of his high school career. However, as a recruit, then quarterback-coach Day was instrumental in bringing the Texas native to Columbus, as he felt that the pro-style QB would fit his system.

However, now with the No. 2 overall recruit in the 2018 cycle Justin Fields in the Buckeyes’ quarterback room, Baldwin is looking to play elsewhere. While entering the transfer portal does not necessarily guarantee that Baldwin is on his way out of Columbus, very rarely do players take the dramatic step without following through.

If Baldwin does in fact leave the Buckeyes, he will have four years of eligibility remaining, but behind Fields, Day will be left with only one other scholarship quarterback, WVU graduate transfer Chris Chugunov, who was never intended to be more than a culture-guy for the Buckeyes.

Whether or not Baldwin does decide to leave, we wish him the best.