Andre Turrentine’s stay in Columbus, Ohio, lasted just one year.
Buried on the Ohio State depth chart, Turrentine, a former four-star Ensworth defensive back, opted to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Monday as first reported by On3’s Matt Zenitz and later confirmed by an OSU spokesperson.
He is the fifth defensive player and second safety to leave the Buckeyes since the start of spring practice, during which Turrentine was one of the standouts, playing 106 of the team’s 118 total snaps, totaling nine tackles and a pass breakup.
Turrentine played in three games without recording a tackle as a freshman before redshirting the 2021 season. He has four years of eligibility remaining.
With a logjam at safety, Turrentine was unlikely to see action in 2022 behind projected starters Josh Proctor and Ronnie Hickman, plus reserve safeties Kourt Williams, Kye Stokes, Tanner McCalister,and Cameron Martinez.
The No. 4-ranked player in Tennessee and the 9th-rated safety in the country in the class of 2021 according to 247Sports composite rankings, Turrentine chose Ohio State over Alabama, LSU and Tennessee. He also had offers from schools in Power 5 leagues, including Florida, Florida State and Georgia, among others.
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