Morning Constitutional: What Is Ryan Day’s Approach To the Transfer Portal?

Today’s Topic: What Is Ryan Day’s Approach To the Transfer Portal?

The transfer portal is the new normal in college football.

Players who want to move on from their current school can put their names into a database and then they wait for the calls to come in from other schools and coaches.

It’s like LinkedIn, but it works.

Ohio State had two players put their names in the portal this offseason, as quarterback Tate Martell and linebacker Keandre Jones both transferred out. They will also be bringing in a graduate transfer offensive lineman in Jonah Jackson this year.

And it’s not out of the question to see the Buckeyes add a graduate transfer quarterback as they did last summer in Chris Chugunov.

Head coach Ryan Day’s approach to the transfer portal is basically that if everybody else is going to use it to find players, Ohio State would be foolish not to do the same.

“It’s ever evolving,” Day explained. “To say where it’s going to be in two to five years, I don’t know that. We have to evolve with the times to be competitive. We need to be involved with that. Mark Pantoni has had to make adjustments, stay on top of that transfer portal. It might be one of those things down the road where we have to assign and designate part of our recruiting department just towards that. We have to make sure we’re adapting with that.

“We’re very, very careful about that. It has to be a need, it has to be a fit. We spent a lot of time recruiting these kids since they’ve been freshmen and sophomores, most of them. We bring them into a culture we take seriously. To bring somebody in has to be a great fit.”

The transfer portal has been a welcome addition for the players. It has given them more freedom by removing some of the controls that schools have wielded over them.

How much further down this road college football goes isn’t yet known, but it’s unlikely that the portal is the last change when it comes to transfers in college football. The next movement seems to be toward immediate eligibility for any transfers.

“I think it’s a delicate situation,” Day said. “We’re kind of going with it year in and year out, trying to deal with it, adjust with it. I think there are certainly situations where a kid should be able to play. There’s certain sports where guys can transfer and play right away.

“I am in favor of somebody transferring sitting out and getting the year back on the back end. I also am in favor of capping the transfers [into a school] to two per institution per calendar year. But willing to listen to other arguments.

“As I sit here right now, that’s kind of my thought. I know there’s going to be great discussion this spring moving forward. Looking forward to being a part of those.”