Since the transfer portal started, Ohio State has hit the portal hard in recruiting top-flight talent. Players like quarterback Justin Fields, safety Caleb Downs, and Quinshon Judkins all transferred from other schools to Ohio State since the start of the portal. They also tried to fill holes in the roster by signing key players like quarterback Will Howard and cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
The Buckeyes have also been slow to recruit and pay top dollars with NIL money in the portal. This off-season, Ohio State seems to have taken a different approach, where they have added a lot more transfers to the program. They had to do this partially because they had 30 players leave the team through the portal this offseason.
Instead of being selective, Ohio State so far added 11 players through the portal. Most of them look like impact players and starters. The last two days, they have added defensive backs Earl Little Jr, from Florida State, and Trey Moore from Duke. They also added Alabama defensive lineman James Smith and Qua Russaw. All four of these players should start or play a ton next season.
Then you add in defensive tackle John Walker from UCF and linebacker Christian Allegro from Wisconsin. Now you have six starters or key contributor’s defense. Compared that to last offseason, where most of Ohio State’s transfers on defense were rotational players at best. It is a noticeable difference from Ohio State.
Then, on offense, Ohio State has picked up two tight end prospects, Hunter Welcing from Northwestern and Mason Williams from Ohio. Both should be part of a deep tight-end rotation.
Ohio State has lost 6 wide receivers in the portal this offseason. All of them were backups, but they still have a hole in the roster on offense. Mylan Graham is one of the wide receivers who entered the portal, but he is still at Ohio State, and he might reconsider. In the meantime, Ohio State picked up a wide receiver commit from Devin McCuin, a speedy wide receiver from UTSA. A rarity for Ohio State to take a wide receiver in the portal.
The Ohio State roster last season was composed of 72% from starters they recruited and developed. Compare that to a team like Indiana, which had 34%, and you see a major difference. Ohio State, before this off-season, had stuck largely through high school recruiting, but with several young players leaving the program, Ohio State looks like it is changing its tactics. They are becoming a much more veteran and older team through the portal.