Notre Dame and Ohio State assembled their rosters the old-fashioned way, mixing in a few high-impact transfers

Ohio State and Notre Dame reached the same destination with rosters that were constructed the same way.

College Football Playoff teams in Atlanta sign elite high school classes year after year. That was and remains their foundation.

While many teams relentlessly mine the transfer portal in hopes of finding gems, Ohio State and Notre Dame used the portal judiciously, equally, and with great success while assembling their current teams.

Both are members of college football and can offer NIL wealth that goes along with exposure and coaching increasing a player’s chances of winning a championship and moving on to the next level.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard said he had mixed feelings about entering the portal after three years at Duke. But he wouldn’t be in the position he’s in right now if he hadn’t made the move.

“You don’t really understand the magnitude of going to a big school until you experience it, and I tried to prepare for every possible situation, but you just have to go through it to understand what it’s like to play quarterback at a blue-blood school,” he said. .

According to an Associated Press survey using data from 247Sports, both the Buckeyes and Irish have signed 26 scholarship players through 2022, Marcus Freeman’s first year as Notre Dame’s head coach. That’s an average of 6.5 per year, among the lowest in the Bowl Subdivision.

The Buckeyes and Irish can be selective when they enter the portal, and have had a predictably high success rate with the few players they’ve taken.

Five of Ohio State’s 22 starters in the semifinal win over Texas were transfers, and all played major roles.

Will Howard (Kansas State) completed 73.8% of his passes for 919 yards and six touchdowns in three playoff games. Quinshon Judkins (Mississippi) ran for two touchdowns in the semifinal win over Texas. Will Kacmarek (Ohio) returned from an upper-body injury to start all three playoff games at tight end.

Caleb Downs (Alabama) had a late interception to finish off Texas. Davison Igbinosun (Mississippi) has combined for 11 tackles and two pass breakups in three games.

For Notre Dame, four of the starters in the semifinal against Penn State were transfers. Leonard is one of two Power Four quarterbacks to throw for 2,600 yards and run for 700 yards this season. Beaux Collins (Clemson) is the season receiving leader. Kris Mitchell (Florida International) has been steady at receiver and is a big threat. RJ Oben (Duke) sacked to set up Notre Dame’s only offensive touchdown in its second-round win over Georgia.

The transfers for both teams complement the plethora of high school talent that joins the programs each year.

The nineteen players who signed with Ohio State out of high school have combined for 513 starts, and Ryan Day’s classes have finished in the top five of the 247Sports Composite Rankings for six straight years. Notre Dame’s Freeman had recruiting classes ranked seventh through 12th.

The distribution of experience on the rosters is fairly even.

Ohio State leans older, with 13 starters in their fourth or fifth year. Ohio State’s only first-year starter is Jeremiah Smith.

Notre Dame has nine starters who are first- or second-year players and five who are fifth- or sixth-year players. The Irish’s only starters are offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp, who will miss the season opener with an injury, and cornerback Leonard Moore.