How Ohio State unlocked its NIL potential and won the college football offseason

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Gene Smith and Ryan Day met after the season, the athletic director made it clear he was going “all in” on football. “We’re not worried about too many things.” Returning for senior season Player Pos Career starts Honors Denzel Burke CB 35 All-Big Ten first team TreVeyon Henderson RB 29 All-Big Ten first team Donovan Jackson G 26 All-Big Ten first team JT Tuimoloau DE 25 All-Big Ten first team Emeka Egbuka WR 22 All-Big Ten second team Jack Sawyer DE 16 All-Big Ten second team Tyleik Williams DT 12 All-Big Ten second team In addition to stars like Burke, running back TreVeyon Henderson and receiver Emeka Egbuka deciding to stay, Ohio State hit the transfer portal hard, landing one of the top portal classes in the country in the winter. Powell, who was vocal about Ohio State’s struggles after the Cotton Bowl loss, has given Day credit for the changes he made on his staff and evaluating the program’s mindset around NIL. They changed their approach on NIL in the offseason.” There’s more to transferring to Ohio State than just receiving NIL money, which is something that players like Downs and Judkins have emphasized. Ohio State transfer additions Transfer Pos Team Honors/notes Will Howard QB Kansas State All-Big 12 second team Quinshon Judkins RB Ole Miss All-SEC first team Caleb Downs S Alabama SEC Freshman of the Year Seth McLaughlin C Alabama 25 career starts Julian Sayin QB Alabama 5-star recruit in 2024 That’s not to say Ohio State just decided to pay every player a million dollars or more.