Working the transfer portal will become more important for the Ohio State football program

Since the transfer portal window opened up earlier this month, the Ohio State football program has not added a single player from the portal. They have had 14 players leave via the portal though. Ryan Day has not prioritized the transfer portal as a means to add high-level talent.

When asked about it during a press conference talking about the 2024 recruiting class, Day mentioned that recruiting was going to be the primary way that they brought players in. That's a good process in theory, but things have changed over the years.

Now that players can transfer without the threat of sitting out a year, more players are trying to find better opportunities for themselves than ever before. Some of those players are looking for more playing time while others are looking for more NIL money.

Now that NIL money has become a thing, it's going to be important for Ryan Day to work the portal more. Last year, he didn't grab anyone who was any good. Josh Simmons was the player who played the most from the portal and he was a left tackle who wasn't great.

In fact, the Ohio State football program has hardly contacted any players in the portal at all. The ones that they did contact all decided to go to other programs. With as much talent enters the portal after every season and in the Spring, the Buckeyes need to use it more.

The Ohio State football program has another shot once the Spring transfer portal window opens to add some players to improve the roster. They still need help on the offensive and defensive lines. You can give up the pipe dream of them finding a quarterback in the portal. That isn't going to happen.

I'd like to see Day use the portal as a resource more. We'll see if Day changes his ways.