Ohio State defensive end announces pathways with the Buckeyes in order to…
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State defense end Omari Abor is headed to SMU.
He announced the move on social media on Tuesday and was the first Ohio State transfer portal announcement during this cycle.
Abor was the No. 63 overall recruit in the 247Sports composite rankings in the 2022 class. From Duncanville, Texas, he’s headed back to his home state.
Abor was injured a handful of times in his two-year Ohio State career, and made six appearances for the Buckeyes in the 2023 season. He will have three years of eligibility at SMU.
Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Omari Abor, who entered the NCAA Transfer Portal at the end of November, has found his new home.
Per an announcement from Abor, the former five-star recruit has committed to the SMU Mustangs.
Abor, who was a four-star commit for the Buckeyes in the 2022 class out of Duncanville, Texas, now returns home to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex.
He missed most of 2022 for the Buckeyes with injuries, playing just a few snaps in the second game of the season against Arkansas State before sitting out the rest of the regular season due to a knee injury. He then suffered an undisclosed injury prior to the 2023 campaign that required surgery.
This season, Abor has posted two total tackles, as one apiece came in the wins over Purdue and Western Kentucky.
Abor shed his black stripe prior to Ohio State’s loss in the College Football Playoff to Georgia last season. This signaled that he could have a key role in 2023, but that never came to fruition.
Still, he received high praise for his talent.
“This guy had a minor setback, but he’s been working hard every day,” director of player development C.J. Barnett said in Dec. 2022. “He’s proven himself, that he’s got a little dog in him.”
Playing for the Mustangs will give Abor a chance to remain in a Power conference as well, with SMU moving to the ACC alongside Cal and Stanford this summer amid the major conference shift around the nation.
