What I Know, What I Think, What I Wonder — The Transfer Portal Edition

I know there are going to be some Buckeyes who leave for the NFL who shouldn’t, but when so much of your recruiting pitch is about the NFL, you can’t get upset about players turning pro.

I think the Buckeyes will attack the transfer portal much more aggressively on the offensive line this time around. Even if the only change in the starting lineup is Matt Jones at right guard, adding more legitimate competition is going to make players better. This year’s starting five didn’t have enough competition for playing time. That needs to change.

I wonder if people realize that Cameron Ward leads the nation with 18 fumbles the past two seasons.

I know that if Lincoln Kienholz and Devin Brown aren’t preparing right now to start next season, then upside doesn’t matter. The players still have to perform in practice and give their coaches reason to trust them. Without that, no amount of doubt in somebody else will matter.

I think asking somebody to come in this winter (let alone next spring) and learn the offense well enough to beat out three guys who know the offense while only receiving a quarter of the reps in practice is fairly unrealistic. And it would also take away from the opportunities for Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz to win the job.

I wonder how many playoff wins will constitute a successful season moving forward, because I’m guessing the answer isn’t one.

To read the rest of this extended edition of What I Know, What I Think, What I Wonder, you can click here, but you must be a premium subscriber. Additional topics include more on the transfer portal, expected number of departures, the difficulty of dealing with player turnover, coaches turning player empowerment into coach empowerment, the Ohio State quarterback battle in 2024, and much, much more.

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