Ohio State mailbag: Explaining NIL and the portal, Chip Kelly's impact on key players

Ohio State finally has a full coaching staff, and it came at a good time with the Buckeyes just a few weeks away from starting spring practice. With James Laurinaitis taking over the linebackers, the final full-time position, we now move on to talking about the roster and next season.

But before we get there, I figured it is a good time to answer some questions.

Let’s get to it.

Note: Submitted questions have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Can you explain a little about how the transfer portal and NIL work? Does a player enter the portal first, or do teams let it be known that they are looking for a certain position and type of player? Can coaches discuss what the possible NIL money could be if the player commits, or do they introduce them to a collective administrator? — Mark E.

It’s a pretty simple process, honestly, but I know a lot of people are confused. This is the legal process. A player enters the portal, and while recruiting a player, the coaching staff isn’t allowed to bring up NIL first. If the recruit asks about NIL, the coaching staff will refer him to the player personnel person for the NIL collectives. For “The Foundation” that’s Cardale Jones, and for “1870 Society” that’s Tyvis Powell. From there the collectives can talk about NIL, Ohio State and whatever else they want.

There is one stipulation: If they want to talk while on an on-campus visit, the conversation must be had off-campus. Again, it’s simple, but I understand if people don’t know these things. I’m working on a larger NIL story for some point this offseason, as well. But those are the basics.

Will Jim Knowles stick with the two-linebacker scheme, or will he go back to the variations he used in his first season? — Marty C.

So first, Knowles utilized two-linebacker sets about the same ratio in each of the past two seasons. In 2022, Ohio State played with two linebackers on the field for 717 snaps and three linebackers for 70 snaps. In 2023, that went to 726 snaps with two and 94 snaps with three.

I’d expect that to remain around the same this year, but I do believe Knowles will get a little creative. Ohio State has the depth and talent to run more dime packages this year. The secondary could end up being the strength of the team, so Knowles will need to get those players on the field.

One other thing to remember is that if Knowles does move Sonny Styles to linebacker, it will open up more versatility. I love to imagine a dime package that includes Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock, Styles at linebacker, Lathan Ransom, Caleb Downs and Malik Hartford on the field together. How do you pass on that?

But between Styles and C.J. Hicks, you have two players who can play in the run and the pass. Knowing that, I expect Ohio State to stick to its two-linebacker roots under Knowles this year and utilize three in obvious rushing downs.

Who on offense benefits most from the Chip Kelly hire? — Stacey Y.

The easiest answer is two players: TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins.

Henderson already has been one of the most explosive running backs in the country, when healthy. Now add Kelly, who is known for his prolific rushing attacks, and Henderson has to be excited about that.

Historically, nearly every running back Kelly has had has put together a terrific season. Last year was the only time Kelly didn’t have a running back finish in the top 30 nationally in yards per game. In fact, in his eight years as a head coach, Kelly has had a running back finish in the top 10 nationally in six of those seasons.

That’s not to say that Henderson and Judkins will add another year to that. But if Ohio State is at its best, those two won’t be that high on the list because they are sharing carries.

Kelly’s offenses have finished in the top 15 in rushing offense seven times. It’s the consistency I like. The Buckeyes are going to have the most talented running back duo in the country next year and have added a play-caller who consistently has turned teams into efficient rushing teams.

There’s no doubt right now that Henderson and Judkins benefit the most. Henderson’s draft stock could skyrocket after this season.

GO DEEPER

Could Chip Kelly bring nation’s best run game to Ohio State? 5 thoughts on Buckeyes new OC

Kelly’s offense demands run blocking from the tight ends. Our tight ends seemed to struggle with that last year, and the receivers did too. Will this be a priority in the spring, or do the coaches need to add a blocking tight end in the portal? — Dave P.

Ohio State already added a tight end known for blocking: Ohio transfer Will Kacmarek. He likely will be a big part of the offense this year, in a bigger way than maybe I even imagined. He’s a fine receiver, he has 507 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons, but he is a strong blocker already. If he can transition to the Big Ten, Ohio State has a strong blocker already.

I will say, Gee Scott has to take a significant step forward in that aspect this spring, and I’m interested to see how redshirt freshman Jelani Thurman has grown in that aspect. Ohio State has the pieces to be a good blocking tight end group already, but it will take some development and reps this offseason. If it’s not a strength, Kelly is smart enough to adjust.

The roster is loaded obviously, but I’m curious what do you think is the weakest position group? — Max F.

It’s the offensive line by a wide margin.

Getting Donovan Jackson back was big because he played some of his best football in the last half of the 2023 season. The addition of Seth McLaughlin is a big deal because he’s a terrific pass-blocker already and should anchor the interior of the line.

I know many Ohio State fans have their thoughts on left tackle Josh Simmons, but he got better as the season went on. He was bad in the Cotton Bowl, but everybody was. He put together a strong base last year that he can build on this season, and we can expect him to take a big step forward. Ohio State loves his size and athleticism; he just needed some time to adjust to the level of play.

After that, I have serious questions. Josh Fryar just looked lost last year, but he could be a better guard than a tackle. If he moves inside, Luke Montgomery and Tegra Tshabola would be battling for the starting right tackle spot. I assume Montgomery wins that job seeing as Tshabola just hasn’t been able to push for serious playing time yet, although this could be the year.

Still, that’s not a lot of depth if people don’t make steps forward. Who on the bench can you look at and say, “That’s a good swing piece.” I don’t know that there is one right now, but that’s also what spring is for.

Ohio State is going to have to seriously develop some players this offseason because this offensive line could be the difference between a national championship.

GO DEEPER

Ohio State’s new D assistants bring continuity, flexibility for Knowles

In his UCLA articles and on his podcast, Bruce Feldman said that “some” Big Ten schools are in the eight figures for NIL, and UCLA was not even in the seven figures. He then went on to say in the podcast that he heard at least one school is at 20 million per year for the roster. Stewart Mandel said he does not believe that is sustainable: To raise 20 million year after year from donors, outside of the athletic department. Is that viable for OSU? Can the collectives raise 20 million per year or close to that to pay for the football roster? — Kevin H.

This is a good question. I’ll preface this by saying, I don’t believe Ohio State is quite at the $20 million mark, but I’m going to use it as a hypothetical since that’s what the question has.

Raising $20 million each year isn’t sustainable. I agree with Stew, but at the same time, I don’t think it needs to be.

Let’s use this offseason as an example. Ohio State spent a lot in NIL because it was aggressive in the portal, but that’s not necessarily new. Ohio State had six incoming transfers so far; it had nine last year. The Nick Saban retirement changed things, and Ohio State went hard after some big names, but there’s also the junior class returning instead of going to the NFL. That’s not going to happen every season, and when players leave after having big NIL contracts, others step into those roles. But they’re not always going to be as highly paid.

Use JT Tuimoloau as an example. He’s a superstar right now, a top-50 NFL Draft prospect. Who on this roster would’ve got that money if he decided to go to the NFL instead of returning? There’s nobody, not even a transfer, who would’ve been able to equal his financial impact.

Again, these are all hypothetical conversations because we don’t know the exact numbers people are making, but offseasons like this from Ohio State aren’t going to happen every year.

Ryan Day has committed to continuing to develop high school players while filling holes in the portal. You’re going to have offseasons like this when you spend big to keep players and add impact players, but there will also be slower periods.

So is $20 million sustainable? No. But it doesn’t have to be. Now, my name isn’t Phil Knight, and I’m not a co-founder of Nike, so maybe it is sustainable for him.

What does hiring Kelly mean for recruiting? Is Day going to shift his focus and recruit more? Is Brian Hartline the recruiting co-offensive coordinator with Kelly the play-caller co-offensive coordinator? How do you see this playing out past next season? — Josh C.

I’m not worried about recruiting because Kelly isn’t responsible for recruiting the entire offense. He’ll recruit quarterbacks, his position, and as long as Day is the head coach, Ohio State will never have a hard time recruiting quarterbacks to come to Columbus. As for Hartline, I love the role he’s in for his future. He has the offensive coordinator title and gets to learn from Kelly and Day about play-calling. This will only help him.

GO DEEPER

Can Will Howard win over Ohio State — and the NFL? Inside a winding QB journey

Does Devin Brown have a legitimate shot at starting if he performs well in spring ball? — Brian H.

Common sense would tell me that Will Howard didn’t come to Ohio State to back up Brown, so my initial reaction is Brown doesn’t have a shot.

But I do know that Brown isn’t going to go down without a fight. I hate that he didn’t get a chance to really play in the Cotton Bowl because he has the attitude I think people want out of the Ohio State quarterback. We just don’t know about the talent.

At the end of the day, Ohio State will give Brown a chance to win the job, and I bet Brown pushes Howard for the starting spot, but ultimately Howard will win the job.

(Top photo of TreVeyon Henderson (32): William Purnell / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)