Developed Here.
It might just seem like a simple hashtag on social media, one of the mottos for the football team, or a cliché statement, but for Ohio State, the last two NFL drafts back up that it’s one of the best programs in all of college football in developing talent.
Development has always been key for a team to reach its maximum potential. That was the case before the transfer portal era and remains the case now, as well, even if the portal allows teams to fill holes where said team might have missed on an evaluation or didn't get the development from a player that it was expecting.
The Buckeyes have not only been able to develop prospects immediately out of high school, but also ones that they have added through the portal. It's turned into the perfect recipe for Ohio State, one that Ryan Day and Co. continue to lean on.
To take a closer look at this, we broke down Ohio State's 25 NFL draft picks over the last two years, which tied an NFL record (Georgia, 2022-23), to see how long each selection played for the Buckeyes.
| YEAR | PLAYER | ROUND DRAFTED | YEARS AT OSU | TRANSFER? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | CARNELL TATE | 1 | 3 | NO |
| ARVELL REESE | 1 | 3 | NO | |
| SONNY STYLES | 1 | 4 | NO | |
| CALEB DOWNS | 1 | 2 | YES | |
| KAYDEN MCDONALD | 2 | 3 | NO | |
| MAX KLARE | 2 | 1 | YES | |
| DAVISON IGBINOSUN | 2 | 3 | YES | |
| WILL KACMAREK | 3 | 2 | YES | |
| LORENZO STYLES JR. | 5 | 3 | YES | |
| CADEN CURRY | 6 | 4 | NO | |
| ETHAN ONJANWA | 7 | 1 | YES | |
| 2025 | EMEKA EGBUKA | 1 | 4 | NO |
| DONOVAN JACKSON | 1 | 4 | NO | |
| TYLEIK WILLIAMS | 1 | 4 | NO | |
| JOSH SIMMONS | 1 | 2 | YES | |
| QUINSHON JUDKINS | 2 | 1 | YES | |
| TREVEYON HENDERSON | 2 | 4 | NO | |
| JT TUIMOLOAU | 2 | 4 | NO | |
| CODY SIMON | 4 | 5 | NO | |
| LATHAN RANSOM | 4 | 5 | NO | |
| JACK SAWYER | 4 | 4 | NO | |
| TY HAMILTON | 5 | 5 | NO | |
| JORDAN HANCOCK | 5 | 4 | NO | |
| DENZEL BURKE | 5 | 4 | NO | |
| WILL HOWARD | 6 | 1 | YES |
For an easier breakdown of those numbers:
- Of the school record and draft-high 14 picks Ohio State had in 2025 (one short of the record set by Georgia in 2022), 11 spent at least four years with the Buckeyes, with 12 being in Columbus for multiple years.
- Of Ohio State's four first-round picks in 2025, three spent four seasons at OSU and all four were with the Buckeyes for multiple years.
- Of Ohio State's draft-high 11 picks it had in 2026, nine spent multiple years in Columbus, including seven that were Buckeyes for 3-4 seasons.
- Of the four first-round picks OSU had in 2026, all of which were selected in the first 11 picks, each one donned the scarlet and gray for multiple years, with three representing the Buckeyes for 3-4 seasons.
In total, 13 of Ohio State’s 25 draft picks over the last two years were Buckeyes for at least four years and 21 were in Columbus for multiple years. Nine of the 25 transferred into Ohio State, but five of those nine were Buckeyes for multiple years.
| YEARS | NO. OF DRAFT PICKS |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 3 |
"Well, I think when you talk to guys like Davison or Will (Kacmarek), Quinshon (Judkins), guys who have been in the program for a year or two, they can kinda do the talking for you as opposed to a coach," Ryan Day said during spring ball in early April. "My son (RJ) is being recruited by some of these schools, and I go on these visits, and I kinda tell our staff, all coaches sound the same. They say the same thing over and over again.
"I think the thing that's different about Ohio State is we have the testimony to actually back it up," he continued. "And we have the statistics to back it up. When you talk about the winning record, you talk about the stability, you talk about the development, and what goes on here. We're very proud to say that I think we major in developing the elite athlete and preparing them for what's next, not only on the field but in life."
While former Ohio State stars Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins would have been stars no matter where they transferred to, there's also a guy like Seth McLaughlin. Alabama essentially moved on from him after four years after he struggled in the Crimson Tide’s Rose Bowl loss to Michigan. Although he wasn't selected in the 2025 NFL draft due to an Achilles injury, McLaughlin went from an afterthought for the Crimson Tide to a Rimington Award winner – given to college football's best center – in his lone season as a Buckeye.
Will Howard had by far his best collegiate season in his lone season at Ohio State after four years at Kansas State. His completion percentage improved by nearly 12%, and he threw for 35 touchdowns in 16 games with the Buckeyes after throwing for 48 total scores across his four seasons with the Wildcats.
There's also a player like Lorenzo Styles Jr. Before transferring to Ohio State, he was a wide receiver at Notre Dame. He transitioned to cornerback as a Buckeye, and after three seasons in Columbus (the first being a redshirt year), he became a fifth-round pick in the most recent NFL draft.
The culture Ryan Day has built and continues to uphold, regardless of who is on his coaching staff, has certainly played a part in this success. Day's decision to hire former NFL head coaches as his coordinators has been pivotal as well. First, it was Chip Kelly being the "head coach" of the offense in 2024. With that success, Ohio State's coordinators heading into the 2026 season are both former NFL head coaches: Arthur Smith, the offensive coordinator, and Matt Patricia, the defensive coordinator. It's the first time in college football history that a team has had two former NFL head coaches as its coordinators.
"Maybe there's another team out there that has both coordinators who are former NFL head coaches, I don't think they do," Day said. "And that's a tribute to (athletic director) Ross (Bjork) and our board to be able to go get the best people here and bring them in and pay them because they're pouring (knowledge) into our players.
"And so, when you come into Ohio State, you're gonna be surrounded by the best. You're gonna be on the biggest stage, you're gonna be surrounded by great people. Surrounded by players with the same mindset, and I think that matters as well," he continued. "If you wanna know where you're going, just look around at who you're hanging with. And if you're trying to keep pace with these guys every day, it's only gonna make you better.
"So, guys like Davison (Igbinosun) and Will (Howard) come in from other programs, they just get a feel for that," Day went on. "And I love asking them, and I think it's always a good question to ask some of the guys who come from different programs, even for you guys. 'So, what's the difference between Ohio State and where you were?' It's always good to get that feedback and perspective back."
As college sports continue to change in the NIL and transfer portal era, Ohio State must continue to adapt to maximize its success. But development remains the foundation of a successful college football program, and Ohio State is doing that better than anyone else in college football right now.
