Analyst Explains Why Ohio State Is Now An ‘Apex Predator…..

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been among the best teams in college football in terms of luring talent through the transfer portal. Just in the last two months, the Bucks have added quarterbacks Will Howard (Kansas State) and Julian Sayin (Alabama), offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin (Alabama), running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss) and safety Caleb Downs (Alabama) – the last two of which are considered two of the biggest stars and difference makers in the portal. As a result, 247Sports analyst Josh Pate believes Ohio State has emerged as the ‘Apex Predator’ of the NIL and transfer portal game.

“Ohio State, once a program I would reference on this show as not a big NIL player, has all of a sudden become the apex predator of NIL players in the game,” Pate said. “Ohio State has now acquired more five-star talent in this cycle — portal and recruiting combined — than the rest of its conference combined. They’ve acquired more than Bama and Texas combined.”

Are five-star ratings the most important thing in the world? Not necessarily. And look no further than Judkins. As a recruit, Judkins was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and immediately became one of the best running backs in the country from the beginning of his freshman season at Ole Miss. The Buckeyes are also far from the best portal haul in the country, ranking eighth in the 247Sports team rankings, and 15th per On3.

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Ohio State transfer portal success: How Buckeyes landed Caleb Downs, Julian Sayin, Quinshon Judkins

With a flurry of high-profile commitments during a busy month on the recruiting trail, Ohio State positioned itself for a run at the national championship in the earliest days of the 2024 offseason. Ryan Day and his staff went all-in on the transfer portal market, securing instant-impact talent at some of the most important positions and building a formidable roster on both sides of the ball.

The Buckeyes became the only program to secure a pair of five-star commits in the 2024 transfer cycle when they picked up pledges from quarterback Julian Sayin and Safety Caleb Downs by way of Alabama. Their transfer haul is small at just six total commits, yet it ranks No. 8 nationally with by far the highest per-player rating of any class.

On the 247Sports Recruiting Podcast, insider Tom Loy discussed Ohio State’s recent recruiting successes and the team’s momentum heading into a crucial sixth season under Day.