Former Ohio State DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste Transferring To Notre Dame

"Thank you, Ohio State, for all you have done for me," Jean-Baptiste said in a post on Twitter. "The relationships and connections I have built will last forever. To my brothers, I love you boys to death. We have a bond that will last a lifetime.

"Thank you, Coach (Larry) Johnson, Mick(ey Marotti) and (Ryan) Day for all that you poured into me in turning me into the man I am today – a proud alumni. I'm ready to start my next chapter and I will be playing my final season of college football at Notre Dame."

A former four-star prospect from Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic, Jean-Baptiste recorded 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and one pass break up in 13 games for the Buckeyes this season. That includes 0.5 sacks in last month’s Peach Bowl loss to Georgia.

Jean-Baptiste will be reunited with former linebackers coach Al Washington, who just finished his first season as Notre Dame’s defensive line coach. He’ll also play against his former teammates next season, as the Buckeyes travel to South Bend on Sept. 23.

With that, all five of Ohio State’s scholarship players in the transfer portal have now found new homes, as Jean-Baptiste joins linebacker Teradja Mitchell (Florida), cornerback J.K. Johnson (LSU) and safeties Jantzen Dunn (Kentucky) and Jaylen Johnson (Memphis).