The Ohio State Buckeyes are going to the national title game. In the 28-14 win against Texas in the Cotton Bowl, Buckeye defensive end Jack Sawyer had the game-sealing scoop-and-score touchdown.
Although this play sealed the victory, Ohio State couldn't have won this game without the help of some key players Ryan Day added from the transfer portal. Last offseason, the Buckeyes had a huge transfer-portal recruiting class, ranked ninth nationally per 247Sports. It included the likes of quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs.
In the Cotton Bowl semifinal, and during Ohio State's entire season, these players have been a huge reason for the Buckeyes' success. Let's take a look at each of these players' performances, and how they ended up at Ohio State to begin with.
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How Ohio State transfer trio came up big in Cotton Bowl
All three of these guys came up huge in this game. Howard, who was named the Cotton Bowl's offensive MVP after the game, went 24-for-33 for 289 yards passing with two touchdowns. He did have an interception, but Texas punted on the ensuing possession, unable to capitalize on the turnover.
Judkins finished with just 36 yards rushing, but he had two of Ohio State's touchdowns, including the score that gave the Buckeyes a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left.
Caleb Downs finished with five total tackles, including four solo stops, and an interception off Ewers late in the fourth quarter.
But one of his biggest moments came when Texas was down to Ohio State's one-yard-line trailing 21-14. Facing a second-and-goal, Ewers pitched the ball back to Quintrevion Wisner. Downs blew past Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks and helped his teammate Lantham Random make the tackle, which resulted in a loss of seven yards:
Will quickly be forgotten, but Caleb downs elite instincts lowkey won us this game in the end on this play
— MoreForYouCleveland (@MoreForYou_CLE) January 11, 2025
pic.twitter.com/tTEDX1WdBa
Oh by the way, Banks is an All-American offensive tackle, and is projected to be a first-round 2025 NFL draft pick. On the very next play, Sawyer made the game-sealing scoop-and-score.
Howard arrived in Columbus after spending his first three seasons of his career at Kansas State. He had 5,786 with 48 touchdowns and 25 interceptions over three seasons, and helped lead the Wildcats to a Big 12 title in 2022.
Howard's prospects as a passer weren't particularly overwhelming—the perception was that with the weapons he had around him, he could be more of a game-manager. But throughout the season, Howard has elevated his game as a passer significantly. On the season, he has 3,490 yards with 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions, which are career-high numbers for him.
He's particularly elevated his play during Ohio State's playoff run. Take a look at his numbers his last three games out:
- First-round vs. Tennessee: 311 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception with an 82.8 completion percentage
- Second-round vs. Oregon: 319 yards passing with three touchdowns and zero interceptions with a 65.4 completion percentage
- Semifinal vs. Texas: 289 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception with a 72.7 completion percentage
"The biggest thing is I felt like I could come compete here to win a national championship," Howard told Sporting News' Bill Bender in January of last year. "That, above anything else, was one of the more important things. I felt like I just had more that I wanted to accomplish in college."
Judkins transferred to Columbus after two 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Ole Miss. Although him splitting reps with running back TreVeyon Henderson means his numbers have dipped slightly from his first two years at Ole Miss, he's been a big part of this Ohio State offense this season. Not to mention he has four touchdowns during the Buckeyes' playoff run.
Ohio State landing Downs was arguably the biggest get for Ryan Day in the transfer portal. Downs, who played 2023 at Alabama, became the first true freshman in school history to lead the Tide in tackles. He's third on the team in tackles with 71 total tackles and two interceptions on the season and was a first-team All-American. He's helped Ohio State enter Friday's semifinal with the nation's top-ranked total, passing and scoring defense.
Howard, Judkins and Downs have been critical pieces that have helped Ohio State go back to the national championship for the first time in four seasons.
How Buckeyes built a $20 million roster through NIL, transfer portal
All three guys were part of Ohio State's $20 million roster that Ryan Day and the Buckeyes built by using recruiting, NIL and the transfer portal.
No, that isn’t a typo — $20 million dollars. That figure surfaced before the 2024 season began, as an ESPN report from Jake Trotter first cited that OSU spent a whopping $20 million to build its team. The motivation behind it? Losing to rival Michigan in 2023 and then having to watch the Wolverines go on to win the national title.
As ESPN describes, Ohio State poured the $20 million dollars from its NIL fund into building its 2024 roster, drawing from the transfer portal and recruiting class and also enticing some Buckeye players from going to the NFL.
The next step for the transfer-portal trio? Winning a national title. To do so, the Buckeyes will have to get past Notre Dame.
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