Ohio State football: Buckeyes’ offseason actions set the stage for a successful 2024 season.

Recruiting is, now more than ever, a numbers game. With NIL playing a massive role in talent acquisition, the Ohio State boosters stepped up their game over the last few weeks and played an integral role in the Buckeyes surging up the transfer portal rankings. After years of coming up short of the program’s biggest goals — beating Michigan, winning the Big Ten and claiming the national championship — next season could provide a breakthrough given Ohio State’s influx of talent.

Biddle: “The boosters are upset. ‘Close’ doesn’t count in college football. You lose to Michigan three-straight years, especially after the Buckeyes dominated Michigan for so long, and then to see Michigan win the national championship. I know Ohio State fans didn’t want to suffer through that Cotton Bowl. That might have been a necessary evil, because that also added to it, getting embarrassed in the Cotton Bowl. You add it all together; all of Ohio State’s big-money boosters are ticked off, and they are doing whatever they can as far as NIL and the transfer portal and recruiting and keeping the players.”

While Ohio State only has six transfer commitments thus far in the 2024 cycle, the quality of those individuals is so high that the Buckeyes boast the nation’s eighth-highest rated class. The portal now enters a quiet state between transfer windows, but when it ramps up in the spring, Day and Co. could again be big players on the transfer portal. While Ohio State possesses plenty of starting experience in its offensive line group, one particular position in the trenches may be a point of emphasis in the spring window.

Biddle: “They’re either done, or they’re going to add an offensive lineman, in my opinion. I think they want to add an offensive lineman if they can, but they’re not trying to add a depth piece. They’ve got plenty of depth. If they can find, for example, a plug-and-play right tackle… Someone like that, who could be a really solid one-year starter, and a right tackle not a guard, and then be a solid NFL Draft pick — that’s what Ohio State’s going to be looking for when the next window opens after spring.”

The offense was Ohio State’s greatest weakness in 2023, specifically with inconsistent play and low upside at the quarterback position. Enter new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who has a strong track record coaching high-end signal-callers and could take the unit to new heights upon assuming the play-calling duties. While O’Brien is fresh off an abysmal year with the New England Patriots, he holds a winning record as an NFL head coach, pulled Penn State out of a difficult situation a decade ago and helped produce a Heisman Trophy winner in Alabama’s Bryce Young.

Biddle: “Very interesting hire. If you’re an Ohio State fan, I think you should be happy with what this represents, because I think most of the best head football coaches are CEOs. There are exceptions to the rule. If you’re calling plays now with everything else that’s on your plate — especially for a college football head coach and you’re dealing with NIL, the transfer portal and everything else — that’s just too much on your plate. I think Ryan Day finally realized that… Time will tell, but I think this is a really good hire for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes.”

One of the most impactful developments of Ohio State’s offseason occurred outside the program altogether. When Jim Harbaugh accepted the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coaching position, he paved the way for the Buckeyes to reclaim frontrunner status in the Big Ten. Harbaugh defeated his biggest rival in three-straight meetings before departing for the NFL, and should Michigan take a step backward in his absence, Ohio State is the obvious primary candidate to fill its spot atop the conference.