How, and why, are the Buckeyes getting crushed in the first week of the transfer portal window?
It's no secret that the Ohio State Buckeyes are getting absolutely crushed in the first week of the Transfer Portal window.
Ever since the window opened on Jan 2nd, the Buckeyes have been hemorrhaging players and are bringing in virtually no replacements.
As of Wednesday morning, nearly 20 Buckeyes had entered the portal, and while several were depth pieces, they were all set to make a significant impact on next year's team. Across the board, the Buckeyes will be losing at least 13 starters from their quarterfinal-worthy team last season.
To counteract the program’s losses, Ohio State has welcomed just four players to their team in their place, with one being a long snapper.
There will be numerous holes to fill on a roster that was already inadequate, and the players they were counting on will be on different rosters.
To me and to many, the most concerning room is the wide receiver position. As it sits right now, Ohio State will have two wide receivers on its roster who caught a pass for them next year. Yes, I do know that one of them is Jeremiah Smith, who is arguably the best player in America, but the other is Brandon Inniss, who had 36 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns on the year.
Behind them, it's a ghost town. The "next up" group is all in the portal. Those names include Bryson Rogers, Mylan Graham, and now Quincy Porter, who all had high hopes and are all hitting the portal.
Then, on the flip side, the Buckeyes' secondary is losing two key starters in Davison Igbinosun and Caleb Downs. The response from the youngsters below them? Two of them hit the porta,l including Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West, both guys who were expected to make an impact.
Its been a total exodus with depth pieces on both lines of scrimmage with names such as Tegra Tshabola and CJ Hicks (linebacker / pass rusher).
Maybe it's all overblown, but maybe it is not.
The concern that this lays out for me is the continual change in the landscape of the sport. It's no longer acceptable to fall back on your merits. Ohio State has built a storied program based on years and years of past success and an amazing heritage.
Young players used to be enthralled with the opportunity to play in The Game and call The Horseshoe home while playing in front of 102,000 people. Those days are gone.
There are eight different stadiums that seat over 100,000 people, and nearly every major college stadium seats over 80,000 people. Colors of the uniform don't matter anymore, and kids these days aren't worried about your history; they want to write their own story.
It's a sad reality, but the landscape is changing, and the Buckeyes are not adapting to it. These kids are only interested in what you can do for them, if you can get them to the NFL, and if you can pay them a pretty penny.
Many school have adjusted their approach, the Buckeyes are certainly not the thought leader in their approach. They better make some changes and make them quickly, and remember that they are trying to compete at the top of College Football, not just beat up on the bottom of the Big Ten.