Ohio State nailed down three five-star recruits along with a stellar class, but does it ultimately matter?
The Ohio State Buckeyes and head coach Ryan Day landed three can't-miss prospects in the class of 2026, but didn't this offseason prove that it may not matter?
I'm so torn by this because Ohio State proved that having a great foundation matters in college football while simultaneously abandoning its young base of players in the last 12 months.
College Football is absolutely at an inflection point because all of the elite programs watched what the Indiana Hoosiers did this year with a roster that averaged 22.5-23 years of age. For context, the Green Bay Packers had an average age of 25 this season.
Ohio State was Exhibit A of teams that changed their approach and philosophy this offseason. More than 30 players departed from the Buckeyes' program, including CJ Hicks, Mylan Graham, and Quincy Porter, who were all 5-star players.
The reality is that these NIL Collectives and wherever else the money is coming from are just glorified donations. It is not recurring revenue and must be spent wisely and produce immediate results. Period.
With that in mind, teams that have limited budgets, like Ohio State, have to be smart about where their money is spent. The Buckeyes can't have millions of dollars sitting on the bench and developing in the weight room while the team on the field is getting pushed around by grown adults.
So, the result, the young players with big potential hit the portal and were replaced by veteran players that don't have near the potential, but are grown adults.
That takes us to this year's recruiting class, which, by all accounts, is a home run by the Buckeyes. According to 247Sports, Ohio State landed the No. 2 recruiting class, headlined by five-star prospects Chris Henry Jr. and Cincere Johnson. Others, such as Sam Greer and Jay Timmons, are fringe five-stars but ultimately ended as four-stars.
This class is loaded with talent, but will it matter for Ohio State? Recent history says probably not.
Henry Jr. and Johnson are likely going to be forced to see the field early, just to try and keep them in Columbus. Henry likely has a better path to the field, but Johnson will have to leapfrog several other budding stars in the linebacker room.
Being as good as Ohio State is is no longer a just a blessing. Ten years ago, these players could be stashed away on the depth chart and told to wait patiently. Now, if the path isn't there right away, they are going to hit the portal.
Yes, the system is broken, but that's not the point. The point is that Ohio State isn't going to be able to keep all of the talent that it spent all offseason acquiring.
The state of college football continues to be in flux and is in a major time of transition. Ohio State's stellar recruiting class may not matter at all for the future of the program.
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