A new report of opinions from coaches and executives around college football declared the Ohio State Buckeyes, LSU Tigers and Texas Tech Red Raiders as the big winners in the recent college football transfer portal window.
Recruiting has always been a huge part of roster development in college football. It is the biggest part of long-term development, especially with the growing influence of NIL money. However, for programs looking for immediate gains, the transfer portal has become the amateur ranks version of what free agency is in pro sports.
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Doing well in the transfer portal can turn a good program into a legitimate college football playoff contender in just a few signatures. And we have seen its results in recent years with teams like Florida State, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.
The most recent transfer portal window was in December, immediately after the 2024 regular season came to a close. And a new report of major opinions from The Athletic reveals that Ohio State, LSU, and Texas Tech are seen by many around the sport as schools that did very well during the December transfer window.
Did Ohio State boost chances of National Championship repeat in December transfer portal?
“Ohio State did a great job. They just get really, really good quality,” a Power 4 director of player personnel told the outlet. “They’re very efficient with what they need in the portal. [They] took some surefire guys and helped the areas they needed.”
“Ohio State, to me, killed,” said a Power 4 general manager. However, the Buckeyes were not alone in receiving a lot of praise.
“Texas Tech and LSU, you could tell they’re going all-in,” a Group of 5 head coach claimed. “LSU’s committed to not just making the Playoff with what they’ve done but to winning the whole thing.”
“Texas Tech, they might have overspent for some kids, but that’s relative. If a guy becomes who you wanted him to become, is it really overspending?” a former Power 4 scouting director also told The Athletic. A Power 4 receivers coach added the Red Raiders “came out of nowhere” with the level of talent they were able to get in December’s transfer portal.
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