Following an 86-75 loss against Kent State in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament, Ohio head coach Jeff Boals said, “We've got to be better, and there's going to be a reset. This team won't be the same as it will be next year. We're losing a lot of really good players, and we've got two kids signed right now, and we're going to bring a lot more in.”
Those two players he was referring to are incoming freshmen Xavier McKinney and Jordie Bowens, two high school stars at Reynoldsburg High School outside of Columbus.
Since then, Boals’ promise has been mostly true, as Ohio is losing multiple players, such as forward Ayden Evans and guards JJ Kelly and Elijah Elliott, to the transfer portal. However, two more players, transfer guard from Indiana University Indianapolis, Kyler D’Augustino, and Australian freshman guard Che Brogan, signed with the Bobcats.
Those two guard additions are solid pickups to go along with what is left of a returning core for Ohio that includes senior forward Javan Simmons and redshirt sophomores Jesse Burris and Kiir Kuany.
Simmons is the only one of the three to receive consistent minutes for the Bobcats this past year; however, meaning nearly all of Ohio’s contributors for next season will be playing in their first real roles in Athens, whether they were transfer additions or returners.
In the new age of the portal, consistent returning rosters are rarely a reality for mid-major programs like Ohio and the rest of the MAC.
It is a double-edged sword; while obviously negative for schools like Ohio, it can provide windows of opportunity to win right away.
The 2026-27 season looks to be one of those years that gives Ohio a real window to win, looking at the state of the MAC.
As a conference, the MAC has already been very busy with offseason news featuring both coaches and players leaving.
The biggest story and surprise so far has been former Ohio and longtime Akron head coach John Groce leaving the Rubber City to take the head coaching job at the College of Charleston.
Groce has had tons of success in the MAC, winning multiple NCAA Tournament games with Ohio in the late 2000s and early 2010s, before returning to the conference and winning three-straight MAC Tournament titles with the Zips in the last three years.
As for the other MAC contenders, like Toledo and Miami, they have their fair share of portal woes as well.
A majority of Miami’s key returning core have entered the transfer portal this offseason. Forwards Eian Elmer and Brant Byers were all-MAC second team selections last year, and they have both entered the portal.
Budding freshman guard Trey Perry also hopped in the portal. Those are massive losses, along with losing players like MAC Player of the Year Peter Suder and Antwone Woolfolk.
Toledo has seen its two best guards, Sonny Wilson and MAC Freshman of the Year Leroy Blyden Jr., enter the portal after falling just short against Akron in the MAC title game.
The conference looks wide open for next year, and Jeff Boals and his staff have a perfect opportunity to keep making splashes in the portal to bolster the roster.
If the staff can address the holes in the roster, like veteran wings who can play defense and shoot 3-pointers at a high level, the Bobcats will have as good a chance as anyone to compete in and win the MAC.
The last time Ohio won in the postseason was 2020, and things have changed in college sports since then. With the way the deck was shuffled this offseason, Ohio has a great chance to go all in and win.
