Inside Ohio State’s Roster-Building Strategy: How Mark Pantoni Navigates the New Era of College Football
COLUMBUS, Ohio - If you’re wondering how Ohio State continues to reload with national title aspirations year after year, look no further than Mark Pantoni. The Buckeyes’ general manager isn’t just overseeing recruiting - he’s orchestrating a full-scale roster strategy that blends high school scouting, transfer portal maneuvering, and a rapidly evolving NIL landscape.
Pantoni’s fingerprints are all over Ohio State’s 2026 roster, a group that head coach Ryan Day believes has the pieces to make a serious championship run. But building a contender in today’s college football world requires more than just landing five-star recruits. It’s about navigating what’s essentially become a version of free agency - and doing it with precision.
Pantoni recently sat down with former NBA insider and current St. Bonaventure basketball GM Adrian Wojnarowski on “The Program with Woj” to offer a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the Buckeyes are adapting to the new realities of roster construction. Here’s what we learned.
The Indiana Blueprint: Get Old, Stay Old
There’s a saying in college football circles: experience wins. And in recent years, that’s been more than just a cliché - it’s been a championship formula.
Ohio State and Michigan leaned heavily on veteran rosters to win national titles in 2023 and 2024. Then Indiana, of all programs, followed suit in 2025 by using the transfer portal to stack its roster with experienced players.
The result? Another national title for the Big Ten.
Pantoni sees that as more than coincidence. It’s a trend - and perhaps a new standard.
“The Indiana model in football has showed us that having older players, having an older team, does mean something,” he said.
For Ohio State, that’s sparked some serious internal discussions. How much should they invest in high school recruiting when the portal offers battle-tested players ready to contribute immediately? Is it smarter to go after upside or proven production?
“Philosophically, we are trying to determine, ‘OK, how much financials are we going to put in the high school world now? How big is the high school class going to look now?’”
Pantoni explained. “And then, is it better in the long run - or really, in a one-season model - to go in the portal and take older, more proven guys?”
In a world where patience is scarce and players want to play now, the idea of “getting old” through the portal isn’t just a luxury - it’s a necessity.
The Rising Cost of Potential
Recruiting high school talent has never been easy, but now it comes with a new wrinkle: financial expectations. With revenue sharing in play and NIL deals becoming the norm, even freshmen are entering college with dollar signs in mind.
That creates a tricky situation. A highly touted recruit who doesn’t see the field much in Year 1 might still expect a raise in Year 2 - even without production to back it up.
Pantoni saw that dynamic firsthand with Ohio State’s 2025 class. The Buckeyes had to make some tough choices between paying for potential or investing in players with proven college tape.
“The market has dictated maybe some potential increases they thought they deserved without a lot of production behind it,” he said. “That’s where we had to make some really tough decisions.”
Ohio State ended up losing eight of its 26 enrollees from that class - including wide receiver Quincy Porter, who was expected to compete for a starting role opposite five-star signee Chris Henry Jr.
It’s a new kind of roster churn, one driven not by playing time alone, but by value assessments that would feel right at home in an NFL front office. And for a program like Ohio State, which prides itself on player development, it’s a delicate balance: reward upside, but not at the expense of the locker room or the budget.
Geography Comes with a Price Tag
Another factor shaping Ohio State’s recruiting approach? Geography.
According to Pantoni, the farther a player is from the Midwest - and specifically from Ohio - the more expensive the recruitment tends to be.
“I think right now the farther you go from the Midwest and the state of Ohio, the price tags are going to go up based on distance,” he said.
That’s not to say the Buckeyes are abandoning national recruiting. But it does mean they’re doubling down on their regional footprint. In-state and nearby prospects often come with fewer logistical hurdles and, increasingly, more manageable NIL expectations.
“To try to get kids from California, Texas, Florida, Georgia - NIL now makes it even more difficult,” Pantoni said. “Because every school’s got rev-share, every school’s got money. They’re not just coming to Ohio State anymore because of NFL development, great coaching staff, opportunity to win a national championship.
“There’s a price tag involved now, too. You have to be willing to meet that price tag.”
Building a Title Contender in the NIL Era
What’s clear from Pantoni’s comments is that roster building at a place like Ohio State has evolved into something that looks a lot like professional team management. It’s not just about who you can sign - it’s about who you can keep, who you can afford, and how you balance short-term impact with long-term development.
The Buckeyes are still chasing elite talent, but they’re doing it with eyes wide open to the new market forces at play. That means leaning into the portal for experience, recalibrating high school recruiting strategies, and prioritizing regional talent when it makes sense financially.
It’s a complex puzzle, but Pantoni and his staff are playing the long game - one calculated decision at a time. If they get it right, don’t be surprised if Ohio State is hoisting another trophy come season’s end.