#ohio-state

#ohio-state

Three years removed from the 2023 recruiting cycle, it's time to reassess what those classes have become. Many look dramatically different, with some schools doing a better job than others at identifying, developing and retaining talent in the transfer portal era. The schools listed below did the best job cultivating success via both transfer contributions and high school signings, leading to conference titles and College Football Playoff appearances.

With Ohio State preparing for a College Football Playoff quarterfinal bout with Miami later this week, coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes secured a five-star commitment Monday from 2027 defensive end D.J. Jacobs, the No. 11 overall prospect in the ESPN Junior 300. Jacobs, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound pass rusher from Roswell, Georgia, gave his pledge to Ohio State over Georgia, Miami, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Oregon, among the leading contenders from a deep list of Power 4 finalists.

"For me, it was really just being at a place where I feel comfortable [sic]," Henry told McAfee. "It was never really about the money. I was getting tons of offers [from] other places ... but ultimately for me, it was just a place I feel comfortable being developed and ultimately reaching my goal, which is to be a first-round draft pick."

The wide receivers that Harline has tutored during his time at Ohio State include the five first-round picks from OSU - Marvin Harrison Jr., Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Garrett Wilson. All were picked in the Top 20. He also recruited and developed Jameson Williams, who left for Alabama before becoming a first-round pick. Other notables include Terry McLaurin, Parris Campbell and K.J. Hill.

Since Terry Donahue retired in 1995, UCLA football coaches have done something really special, what, a few times a decade? That 20-game winning streak under Bob Toledo qualified, the Bruins whirling toward a berth in the first-ever Bowl Championship Series title game at the end of the 1998 season until getting spun away thanks to that dreadful Hurricane Bowl loss to Miami.

It's not supposed to care that Vanderbilt hasn't been 7-1 in 84 years. The 12 people in that room will absolutely care, though, that Vanderbilt is 7-1 now -- with back-to-back wins against ranked SEC opponents LSU and Missouri. Vanderbilt -- the story of the season so far -- is on the brink of making its first appearance in any CFP ranking during the playoff era.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State's defense got a couple key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened their season with a 14-7 victory over top-ranked Texas on Saturday. It was the fourth time the AP's No. 1 team in the preseason poll has met the previous season's national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three.

Corso selected the third-ranked Buckeyes to beat top-ranked Texas on his final appearance on ESPN's "College GameDay" on Saturday. Corso made the prediction on the 50-yard line at Ohio Stadium 16 minutes before kickoff, quite a change from the first time in 1996 when it was done in the parking lot outside the Horseshoe. "To everyone who has been a part of the journey, thank you," Corso said during the opening segment of Saturday's show.

Ohio State will always be a contender for the College Football Playoff, despite losing 14 NFL draft picks. They still have star players like Jeremiah Smith.

The competition continues. They both have had good moments and moments where they're growing... It's going to go right down to the wire.

This, in part, is what drove the Colts to select Tuimoloau in the second round of the NFL draft (45th pick) last month, providing them with a player they believe won't shrink at the biggest moments.