Over the past two seasons, major contributors on the Ohio State Buckeyes roster transferred in from the Alabama Crimson Tide. Caleb Downs and Seth McLaughlin were major contributors from SEC country, the Peach State, a longtime Alabama and Auburn Tigers recruiting resource, who once wore Crimson and traded it in for Scarlet and Gray. Julian Sayin was committed to Nick Saban's program but transferred to Ryan Day's squad after Saban retired.
In 2026, there's even more of an imprint from the Yellowhammer State. Two stars from Carver High School in Montgomery, Qua Russaw and James Smith, are now playing together on the Buckeyes, having ditched the Tide after two years under Kane Wommack.
Russaw and Smith were Saban recruits who stuck around but may regret that. Running back Anthony "Turbo" Rogers is also an ex-Carver Tiger. Elsewhere, Zion Grady is from Enterprise, AL, and 2026 4-star DT Emanuel Ruffin is from Bessemer City.
That's a major contingent from Alabama on Ohio State. One wonders if Ryan Day is recruiting that way on purpose. Bucknuts' Patrick Murphy believes it didn't start that way, but one thing led to another.
"Whether the pipeline from Alabama to Ohio State will continue remains to be seen. The Buckeyes aren't specifically targeting former Crimson Tide players in the transfer portal, but rather those who fit Day's program. It just so happens that those two things have aligned over the past two years," Murphy wrote.
Certainly, with recruits working out so well on the Buckeyes, it's made it easier for recruits from Alabama to assess whether or not the best play is staying home anymore. Earl Little Jr., a Florida native who's played for the Tide, the Florida State Seminoles, and now OSU, took a shot at the process in Tuscaloosa and claimed there was a far more competitive atmosphere in the weight room and in practice on the Buckeyes.
Saban made the "Mullet A" the coolest brand in Alabama for athletes growing up. Under DeBoer and Wommack, there's been a bit of an aura loss. And during that time, the Ohio State University seems to have picked it up.
Ryan Day has adapted to the way the recruiting business has changed
Day is doing things differently from Urban Meyer. Of course, he has to, with rev-share and NIL hitting the recruiting game like a meteor. Still, Day is doing things that other Big Ten coaches may not necessarily have the resources to do.
Whereas Meyer didn't venture into the Deep South, you're seeing Day embrace Louisiana and Alabama recruits like never before. It certainly makes sense to grab players from areas where the universities are known to produce the most talented local kids into future NFL stars.
In today's world, regionality is gone. Kids from all over the map are connected through social media in ways that didn't previously exist. You could grab kids from anywhere, bring them together, and produce greatness.
Day is way ahead of the curve there. It'd be nice to see him continue in that direction, but we'll see. If the latest batch of Alabama athletes works out, it probably will.
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