Ohio State declared offseason champions by Pro Football Focus
Ohio State lost its two biggest games of the season last year to Michigan and Missouri, but that appears to have only strengthened head coach Ryan Day's resolve.
The Buckeyes have spent several million dollars in pursuit of an elite roster this offseason according to CFB Focus and have redefined what "amateur" athletics mean in the process.
Recently, the popular scouting website Pro Football Focus declared Ohio State the unofficial champion of college football's offseason, according to a post on its X account.
Day set the stage for Ohio State's winning offseason by gathering a group of Columbus businessmen in pursuit of funds and sharing a driving analogy with them.
“If the speed limit's 45 miles per hour, and you drive 45 miles per hour, a lot of people are going to pass you by,” Day said. “If you go too fast, you’re going to get pulled over.”
Pro Football's Focus's Buckeyes declaration has fans of schools across the country wondering how it will all translate on the football field this fall.
Among the names on the Buckeyes' list of offseason transfer portal additions include some of the top players from the SEC and Big 12 Conferences.
First-team All-SEC performers include Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins and Alabama safety Caleb Downs.
Judkins rushed for nearly 1,200 yards and 15 touchdowns last season for the Rebels.
Downs had 70 solo tackles, two interceptions and three pass breakups for the Tide, and will join his teammate, center Seth McLaughlin, in the Buckeyes' portal class this season.
Kansas State quarterback Will Howard is a second-team All-Big 12 performer who also chose the Buckeyes in the transfer portal and could compete for a starting job right away.
Now that the dust has settled from the first stage of college football's offseason, it's hard for Buckeyes fans to be anything but optimistic about the coming season.
Arch-nemesis Jim Harbaugh and many of his best coaches are headed to the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, and the Buckeyes have once again re-loaded with one of the most talented rosters in college football, ahead of the NCAA's inaugural 12-team playoff.
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