The Ohio State Buckeyes have been among the best teams in college football in terms of luring talent through the transfer portal.

Just in the last two months, the Bucks have added quarterbacks Will Howard (Kansas State) and Julian Sayin (Alabama), offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin (Alabama), running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss) and safety Caleb Downs (Alabama), the last two of whom are considered two of the biggest stars and difference-makers in the portal.

As a result, 247Sports analyst Josh Pate believes Ohio State has emerged as the ‘Apex Predator’ of the NIL and transfer portal game.

“Ohio State, once a program I would reference on this show as not a big NIL player, has all of a sudden become the apex predator of NIL players in the game,” Pate stated. “Ohio State has already recruited and acquired more five-star players this cycle than the whole conference combined, both through the portal and recruitment. They now have more than Texas and Alabama put together.

Are reviews with five stars the most significant thing in the world? Not always. And Judkins is the only place to look.

Judkins was a three-star recruit out of high school who shot straight to prominence as an Ole Miss freshman running back. He finished as one of the nation’s top backs.

The Buckeyes, who are ranked seventh in the 247Sports team rankings and fifteenth according to On3, are also far from having the greatest portal haul in the nation.

That being said, the Buckeyes have achieved an incredible feat. In addition to gaining Sayin, Judkins, and Downs—three of the best players in the portal—they also improved with Howard over former quarterback Kyle McCord.

Not to mention being selected in a top recruiting class that included Jeremiah Smith, the nation’s top recruit overall.

All of that added to the historically high caliber of NFL players returning to Columbus explains why Ohio State is one of the favorites to win the national championship in 2024.