Analyst Reveals Why Ohio State Is Now An 'Apex Predator' in College Football
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.
USA Today Sports
"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.
That said, what the Buckeyes have accomplished is nothing short of amazing. Not only have they acquired three of the biggest talents in the portal in Sayin, Judkins, and Downs, but they upgraded over former quarterback Kyle McCord with Howard.
Not to mention landing an elite recruiting class headlined by the country's No. 1 overall recruit, Jeremiah Smith.
Combine all of that with the unprecedented amount of NFL talent returning to Columbus, and it's no wonder why Ohio State is among the favorites to win the 2024 national title.
