Ohio State is making significant moves in the transfer portal, and Greg McElroy believes they should make no apologies for their substantial NIL spending.
Lane Kiffin, the head coach of Ole Miss, recently shared a report indicating that Ohio State has allocated $13 million in NIL funding to attract or retain players for the 2024 season. This included securing talents like safety Caleb Downs and five-star recruit Julian Sayin from McElroy’s former school, Alabama. McElroy, the former Alabama quarterback and current ESPN analyst, believes Ohio State should fully embrace their substantial budget.
REPORT: Ohio State Buckeyes Spent $13 Million And Counting In NIL Money In Attempt To Field Elite Roster – Gridiron Heroics 🧐 https://t.co/DGcjTfBIch
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) January 21, 2024
During an episode of Always College Football, McElroy expressed his amazement that programs aren’t actively promoting their resources in the NIL era. He urged programs with significant financial backing and booster support to lean into their advantages.
“If you have outrageously deep pockets, if you have tremendous booster support, man, lean into it,” McElroy advised.
McElroy also speculated that Ohio State’s success in landing some of Kiffin’s transfer targets might have unsettled the Ole Miss head coach.
In addition to securing star transfers via the portal, Ohio State is convincing several key contributors from the 2023 season to stay for another year. Players like TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, and Denzel Burke, who would typically head to the NFL, are opting to remain in Columbus, chasing a national title and profiting handsomely from their decisions.
McElroy sees Ohio State as red-hot at the moment, fueled by the desire to match Michigan’s recent national championship. He pointed to the significant NIL support that Ohio State has garnered in the past few weeks, emphasizing their deep pockets and their ability to retain future NFL draft prospects for an extra season due to substantial NIL backing and roster stability.
In McElroy’s words, “They’ve always had deep pockets. They’ve always been in a great position to land top players. But now they’re able to retain future NFL draft picks to stay another year because the NIL support and roster retention is so significant.”