Urban Meyer’s conversation with Ryan Day may be a quiet hint on how Ohio State football will change its roster
Big changes could be coming with how the Ohio State Buckeyes make up their team.
The Ohio State Buckeyes had a bunch of draft-eligible players return for another season after they won the national championship two seasons ago. Ohio State winning it all then was just a part of a recent theme in college football.
Upper-class-led teams with a high number of draft-eligible players are winning it all. The Indiana Hoosiers are the recent example of that, and their roster was even older than Ohio State’s in 2024.
Ohio State is likely shifting its approach to roster makeup
The Buckeyes just had north of 30 players exit the team in the transfer portal, and it was mostly back-end of the roster depth. Ohio State made 17 additions to the roster from the portal, mostly older, experienced players who fit what the Buckeyes want in Columbus.
A recent line from Urban Meyer is more fuel to the fire that the Buckeyes are moving toward having an older roster.
“The average experience is almost four years — someone actually threw that at me yesterday,” Meyer said recently on The Triple Option. “The Wolverines did it. The Buckeyes did it. I even talked to Coach Day about it yesterday before the game, and he mentioned how everybody is talking about it now: how do you build a locker room full of grown men who’ve been through it?
“As opposed to coaching that 21-year-old is a much different cry than that 18-year-old. You got a grown ass man with experience that understands the game.”
Ohio State just brought in a 28-man recruiting class for 2026, but it’s likely the last one we see that large. The Buckeyes are moving closer to 20-man classes while using the portal to fill out the rest, which fits what’s likely to happen.
If Ohio State is spending big on the NIL front with a freshman, they will have to play Day 1. Chris Henry Jr. is an example of that, and the expectation is that he will be a key player in 2026 for the Buckeyes. In today’s age of college football, it makes sense to spend heavily on players who are on the field. It’s a lost investment to spend on players who are a year or two away.
Everyone is noticing the trend in rosters lately. Don’t be surprised if everyone is following this model soon, as long as it works.
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