The retirement of Nick Saban directly led to us poaching Caleb Downs and Seth McLaughlin from the portal, with latter contributing significantly as a player and mentor for the OL room (and bringing some hardware back to Columbus) and the former becoming an All-Universe defender for not one, but two years for the Buckeyes. I'm not entirely sure if we win a Natty last year without the services of the best safety in America.

But the gift that keeps on giving is Julian Sayin, who in Year 2 already looks like a Heisman candidate and will (have to) be back with us next year, slinging it again to big #4. While our defense has been absolutely dominant, I did not expect our O to reload to championship caliber so quickly, and with the Sayin-Smith combo back in 2026-2027, it looks like we'll be a contender again next year. If OSU wins another Natty this season or next, I think it'll be worth noting the role Nick Saban had in them both happening.