Analyst Reveals Why Ohio State Is Now An 'Apex Predator' in College Football

The Ohio State Buckeyes have become a force in NIL and the transfer portal.

Matt Galatzan | Jan 25, 2024

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.

Alabama DB Caleb Downs Commits to Ohio State

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.

Published Jan 25, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com