Former North Carolina DE Beau Atkinson commits to Ohio State

North Carolina transfer defensive end Beau Atkinson announced his commitment to Ohio State Tuesday night.

Atkinson, a disruptive, 6-foot-6, 265-pound edge rusher, led the Tar Heels in sacks during a breakout 2024 campaign and entered the transfer portal last week after completing spring practices under first-year coach Bill Belichick. The top available player in ESPN’s spring transfer portal rankings, Atkinson joins the defending national champion Buckeyes with two years of eligibility remaining.

Atkinson became a rotational contributor at North Carolina 2023 before emerging as one of the ACC’s top pass rushers as a redshirt sophomore in 2024. A former three-star recruit from Raleigh, North Carolina, he paced all Tar Heels defenders with 7.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 25 pressures a year ago, finishing as the ACC’s sixth-leading sack-getter in 13 games.

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In Atkinson, Ohio State adds proven playmaking potential and much-needed experience to a new-look defensive line unit in 2025. The Buckeyes will open their title defense in the fall under new defensive leadership with first-year defensive Matt Patricia, the former Detroit Lions head coach and longtime NFL assistant who arrived in February after Jim Knowles’ departure for Penn State.

Gone from Ohio State’s defensive line in 2025 are four starters — J.T. Tuimoloau, Jack Sawyer, Ty Hamilton and Tyleik Williams — from a unit that finished second nationally with 53 sacks last fall. Atkinson immediately steps in as a contender for first-team snaps within a Buckeyes edge unit that returns underclassmen Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson Jr., C.J. Hicks and Joshua Mickens, a group of 2024 reserves who combined for one start and 55 total tackles last fall.

Atkinson follows Idaho State transfer Logan George (24 tackles, 5.5 sacks in 2024) as Ohio State’s second defensive end transfer and seventh overall portal addition this offseason.