At this point, the old method of building a nationally caliber team, which includes recruiting, developing All-Americans, and controlling them, feels outdated in today’s college football era. Even programs of Ohio State’s caliber are no longer immune to that, especially after losing the playoff to Mario Cristobal’s U over the New Year’s.

The Buckeyes’ recent losses may prompt Ryan Day to think more critically about navigating the transfer portal.

A prominent example of this shift is Ohio State’s 2026 recruiting class. The Buckeyes signed 28 high school players, which is likely the largest class in program history. This wasn’t done for headlines or bragging rights. It was a response to uncertainty.

With the NCAA removing this spring transfer window, teams lost a key opportunity to replace players who leave later in the year. The common logic is that signing more players and keeping the roster as full as possible means hoping to cash in on a rainy day.

Unfortunately, in the new era of college ball, it has become a sin for players to stay in the system and learn it for more than 2 years. Even a three-star freshman QB hits the portal if he’s not allowed to start in his freshman season.

Players like Bryce West and Aaron Scott fit that bill. They were highly recruited, Ohio-born prospects who stayed in the program and worked toward securing starting roles. In past years, those players would have been cornerstones of the roster by year three or four. Now, even that kind of development path is no longer guaranteed.

The biggest reason for that is the change in expectations. Players with little to no stats now have the right to ask for $500K or more. Even kickers are allegedly hovering around the $400K.

The NIL deals are no longer leveraged away from schools by any means. Additionally, the coaches are under immense pressure to keep their certified players financially pleased, as this can increase their chances of winning some games. That balance is becoming increasingly demanding to manage each passing season.

By the looks of it, it’s only going to get worse than ever before.

As a result, Ohio State may need to sign fewer high school players as we progress. Ohio State has consistently ranked among the top five in its recruiting classes for several years now. Unfortunately, it’s about time Ryan Day might have to look beyond the aesthetics of rankings.

The higher the ranking, the higher the chances that top-ranked recruits leave the program if they aren’t given game time or put in a position to compete for a starting role.

This might push Ryan Day to go a bit easier on recruiting in terms of signing in bulk and instead focus on getting a handful of certified ballers.

New era of recruiting for Ohio State

By doing so, the Buckeyes need to cash those bucks into experienced portal starters. Players coming from smaller programs with real game reps can often be more dependable than younger players with raw potential. Just look at Dabo Swinney and how that went for him.

Clemson went from one of the preseason favorites to win the natty to a program that was barely bowl eligible. Experience matters more now because there’s less time to develop players before they look elsewhere.

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Another tough change is being willing to walk away from talented young players. If a highly paid freshman doesn’t contribute and asks for more money, Ohio State may need to let him go. The five-star might become casualties of war here.

This new reality comes with a premium. The big bucks will obviously go to premium positions, such as quarterbacks, offensive linemen, Edge Rushers, and possibly even wide receivers.

Those positions win games and justify long-term investment or fast success. Mind you, skill positions still matter, but unless the player is a unicorn caliber, they may not be worth the significant financial hassle.

Ultimately, Ohio State can’t pay 60-plus players enough to keep them satisfied. A more innovative approach may be to pay a core group of 45-ish players and accept the fact that the bottom of the roster will change every year.

Depth, as it once existed, may be gone for good. The programs that accept this reality are most likely to survive. Those who don’t may find themselves constantly rebuilding, regardless of how well they recruit or how many five-star players they land.