Ohio State’s Roster-Building Dilemma: High School Depth or Portal Power?
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class was unlike any other in the Ryan Day era - 28 signees, the largest haul since Day took over. But as college football continues to evolve with the transfer portal reshaping rosters overnight, that kind of class might be a one-time thing.
After a whirlwind portal cycle that saw the Buckeyes lose 31 players and bring in 16 more, there’s a growing sense that the program is rethinking how it builds its roster. The goal?
Field a veteran, battle-tested team - much like the Indiana squad that just capped a perfect 16-0 season with a national championship. That team leaned heavily on experience, and Ohio State appears to be taking notes.
So what’s the blueprint moving forward? Should the Buckeyes keep stacking high school talent and use the portal to plug holes?
Or is it time to shift toward a more portal-driven model? Let’s break down the possibilities - and what each could mean for the future of Ohio State football.
Option 1: Stick With the High School Model
This has been Ohio State’s bread and butter under Day. Build through the high school ranks, then supplement with transfers as needed.
That’s exactly what they did in 2026 - signing 28 high school players, a class built with the assumption that the Buckeyes would still be playing deep into the postseason when the portal opened on January 2. Had they made it to the title game, they risked losing players without being able to replace them. So they loaded up.
General manager Mark Pantoni laid it out clearly back in December: “Going back to day one, the philosophy has been build through high school. That’s the backbone of your team, and then fill in any gaps with the transfer portal. Probably very similar to a lot of successful NFL teams - the ones that draft well and only need to patch a few holes in free agency are the ones who win consistently.”
It’s a model that’s worked for Ohio State - and for other bluebloods. USC took 35 freshmen in 2026.
Georgia signed 31. Notre Dame brought in 29.
Miami added 30. Tennessee inked 27.
Texas A&M signed 26. These are not rebuilding programs - they’re trying to win now, and they’re still investing heavily in high school talent.
But in today’s NIL-driven world, there’s a catch. Signing a massive class means you can’t stack it with five-star talent from top to bottom.
There’s only so much money to go around. And if you want to keep your stars - guys like cornerback Aaron Scott, wide receiver Quincy Porter, and safety Faheem Delane, all of whom entered the portal - you might have to overpay to keep them in Columbus.
Still, this model allows for continuity. You’re developing players in your system, keeping your culture intact, and relying on the portal only for high-impact, plug-and-play types.
Think Notre Dame in 2026: 29 freshmen, just seven transfers, and still a top-10 portal class. That’s the high school-heavy model done right.
Option 2: A Balanced, Mix-and-Match Approach
This might be the most practical path - and the one that gives Ohio State the most flexibility.
Look at Oregon. The Ducks signed 22 players in the 2026 class, 16 of whom were four- or five-star prospects.
Alabama brought in 24, with 13 blue-chip recruits. That’s quality over quantity - and both programs still added heavily through the portal.
Oregon ended up with 36 new players in total; Alabama had 40. For comparison, Ohio State added 44.
In this model, the Buckeyes could aim for a class of 20-24 high school players, giving them enough breathing room to chase elite transfers after the season. It’s a gamble - you’re counting on portal players from other programs to step in and contribute right away - but it also gives you the chance to be more selective and strategic.
This approach also reduces the pressure to retain every single high school player. If someone leaves, you’ve got the space (and the resources) to replace them.
But it also raises the stakes on your evaluations. You’ve got to hit on your high school recruits at a high rate, especially if you’re not signing as many.
Even Indiana, the team everyone’s pointing to as the poster child for portal success, signed 22 high school players in 2026. They didn’t abandon the traditional model - they just supplemented it really well.
Option 3: Go All-In on the Portal
This is the boldest - and riskiest - route. And while Ohio State hasn’t shown signs of heading down this road, it’s worth exploring what it would look like.
Programs like Texas Tech and Texas A&M leaned heavily on the portal in 2026. Tech added 20 transfers - nearly half of their new players.
A&M brought in 18, accounting for over 40% of their additions. Ohio State?
They landed 16, which made up just over 36% of their newcomers.
Of course, context matters. Coaching changes often force teams to rebuild quickly, and that’s when portal numbers spike. Oklahoma State, for example, took an eye-popping 50 transfers after hiring a new coach.
But if Ohio State decided to take fewer than 20 high school players per year and instead use that flexibility to load up on veteran portal talent, it could shift the balance of the roster. You’d expect a higher hit rate on elite prospects at premium positions - quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, edge rusher, corner - because you’re being more selective.
The downside? You’re constantly managing turnover.
Culture becomes harder to maintain. And you’re banking on players from other systems to adapt quickly.
It’s a tough needle to thread, especially at a program with championship expectations every year.
So What’s the Right Answer?
Honestly, there might not be one - at least not yet.
We’re only two years into the 12-team playoff era, and while experience has clearly mattered (just ask Indiana), there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Ohio State’s 2024 squad wasn’t portal-heavy, but they nailed the additions they did make. Quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, tight end Will Kacmarek, center Seth McLaughlin, and safety Caleb Downs all made major impacts.
The key, moving forward, is adaptability. The Buckeyes - like every elite program - have to evaluate year to year.
That means getting it right in high school recruiting. It means identifying the right portal fits.
And it means being nimble enough to adjust when the landscape shifts again, as it surely will.
One thing’s for sure: the days of rigid roster-building philosophies are over. Success now belongs to the programs that can build a foundation, then find the right pieces to finish the puzzle - however they come.