COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football has officially lost a key defensive lineman as Hero Kanu has entered the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman wrapped up his junior season with the Buckeyes after recording four tackles across 123 defensive snaps. After redshirting as a true freshman in 2022, Kanu saw more playing time in 2023, where he tallied 10 tackles, including one sack, in 11 games.
A product of Santa Margarita High School in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, Kanu was a highly-rated four-star recruit in the 2022 class, according to 247Sports composite rankings. Ohio State’s 2022 recruiting class featured four defensive linemen, and Kanu was part of that promising group.
Currently, Kanu joins Omari Abor in the transfer portal. Abor, another defensive lineman from the 2022 class, transferred to Southern Methodist ahead of the 2024 season.
Meanwhile, the remaining two defensive linemen from the class, Kenyatta Jackson and Caden Curry, are expected to battle for starting roles in the upcoming season as the Buckeyes look to replace key departures, including Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, who are heading to the NFL.
