3 Ohio State transfers who paved the way to a national championship

The NCAA transfer portal might not look how it does right now in about five years. At some point, I assume the powers that be will decide the players have been given too much freedom and change how the transfer portal operates.

But until that happens, the transfer portal remains a massive part of shaping college football, and it helped shape the CFP champion roster of Ohio State. Some of the most important positions on the field were transfers for Ryan Day's club this year; obviously, more than three transfers helped this team capture a championship — but these three had the most noticeable impact on a game-to-game basis.

QB Will Howard

The obvious one. Howard was a Godsend for the Buckeyes this season after transferring from Kansas State. He only spent a year in Columbus, but will forever be a Buckeyes legend after stamping his sole season with a national championship.

At no point was there question whether Howard should be this team's quarterback; he made a bad play at the end of the Oregon game a few months ago — then didn't lose another game in an Ohio State uniform. Redemption in the biggest way possible.

Howard threw 35 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, added 7 more touchdowns on the ground and completed well over 70 percent of his passes, a career high. He changed his future prospects at Ohio State; now climbing up draft ladders, Howard will likely get a shot somewhere in the NFL. Maybe not immediately, but I'd be shocked if he's not taking first-team reps somewhere in the next two years.

RB Quinshon Judkins

The Ole Miss transfer came to Ohio State this season after posting two straight 1100-yard, 15-plus touchdown seasons at Ole Miss, and he didn't really miss a beat in Columbus. Judkins was good all season and monstrous in the CFP National Championship, where he scored three touchdowns and tallied over 120 total yards.

Judkins broke a 70-yarder early in the third quarter and also had one of the highlights of the game on a touchdown run where he executed a brilliant stiff arm on a Notre Dame defender and ran into the end zone. He runs like a madman, which is the most fun kind of running back to watch.

Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson were a two-headed monster in the backfield for Ohio State this season and complemented each other perfectly. It was somewhat risky for Judkins to transfer to an Ohio State team that already had an established runner in the backfield, but they played off each other perfectly this year, and it resulted in a national title.

S Caleb Downs

After living up to the hype as the No. 11-ranked recruit during his freshman year in Tuscaloosa, Downs headed to Columbus where he doubled down on his future superstar status. As a sophomore, Downs showed why he'll be a cornerstone piece for an NFL team in a few years; he's a ball hawk, can step up and break up run plays in the backfield and has a sixth sense for how offensive plays will develop.

Downs didn't surprise anyone by being this good... I think Buckeyes fans were just pinching themselves all season long that they got Downs from Alabama. After Nick Saban left, numerous Alabama players hit the portal, and teams around the country were basically gifted high-level players.

I don't think this Ohio State team wins a national championship without Downs manning the safety spot this season; he was that good. He'll probably be that good again next year, too, and then he'll be a first round pick in the NFL Draft. Buckeyes fans need not worry about that yet, though.

Honorable mention: OT Josh Simmons

I can't put Simmons on the list because he only played about 40 percent of the season before missing the rest of the year with an injury, but he was so good in those six games that he still deserves a shoutout. He was already great in his first season with the Buckeyes in 2023, and improved even more entering his junior year, only for it to be cut short by injury. He's a likely first round pick in a few months.