The Bill and Doug Show: Ohio State Changing Transfer Portal Strategy; Buckeyes vs. Indiana Futures

Episode Date: January 13, 2026
Host: Doug Lesmerises, Bill Landis
Guests: Patrick Murphy (247Sports/Bucknuts), Dan Hope (Eleven Warriors)
Podcast Network: Blue Wire

Episode Overview

In this lively “Around the Shoe” segment, Doug, Bill, and their guests dig into Ohio State’s dramatic new approach to the transfer portal, the evolving philosophy behind Buckeyes roster-building, and larger questions about the cutthroat landscape of college football. They also field listener questions on quarterback Julian Sayin’s development and debate the future balance of power between Ohio State and surging Indiana. The panel combines sharp insights, anecdotal humor, and a fans-first tone, capturing the anxiety and optimism that surround one of college football’s marquee programs in a period of rapid change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ohio State’s Tumultuous Transfer Portal Season

[02:31–13:25]

• How Would You Describe Ohio State’s Portal Season?

  • Patrick Murphy: "Game changing...and a wake-up call."

    “We can’t do the same old thing and expect it to work the way it did before...I think the Buckeyes have always done a good job adjusting—maybe not as quickly as fans would like, but they get there.” (03:33)

  • Dan Hope: "Incomplete."

    “It’s too early to grade Ohio State’s transfer portal haul until we see what happens over the next couple weeks.” (04:41)

  • Bill Landis: “Punch in the face.”

    “Ohio State in real time is reckoning with the idea that they can no longer build the roster the way they thought they could—even five months ago.” (08:27)

  • Doug Lesmerises: “Kick in the groin...the oldenization of the Ohio State roster because they be getting old.” (10:21)

• What’s Different This Year?

  • Numbers of departures exploded (28 out this year vs. 12 last year).
  • Portal activity is now compressed into just over a week, delivering a “punch in the face” for fans and staff.
  • Losses of younger players to the portal signal both the changing realities of NIL and sustained pressure to field veteran starters.

• Youth vs. Experience

  • “You traded potential for production...inexperience for more snaps. And I think that’s going to keep happening.” – Doug Lesmerises (11:11)
  • Ohio State appears to be accepting the tradeoff: willing to lose high-upside underclassmen to get proven, older transfer players.

2. What Should the Roster-Building Formula Be?

[13:25–24:12]

• Scale of High School Recruiting vs. Transfer Portal Usage

  • Dan Hope:

    “If you asked Ohio State a month ago, they’d be at like 80 (high school) on this scale,” but now closer to 50—“the sport is changing so rapidly.” (14:05)

  • Warns against total portal dependency—“If nobody’s recruiting and developing, there’s no one good to get out of the portal.” (15:31)
  • Bill Landis:

    “Maybe two-thirds high school, a third transfer moving forward...and probably a third of the guys who play important roles are from the portal.” (16:47)

  • Patrick Murphy:

    “I don’t want to see Ohio State become a full transfer portal team...there’s still too much talent in the high school ranks.” (21:43)

• Perils and Permanence of Portal Dependence

  • Once you start leaning on the portal for a third of your impact players, it may be hard to move back to a more developmental model.
  • Doug Lesmerises:

    “Can you ever get off that carousel? Once you start leaning on the portal...you either lean in—or you don’t.” (19:33)

• Notable Quote:

  "You can’t keep everybody happy and also win national championships." – Dan Hope (12:45)

3. Losing First-Year Players: Can It Be Prevented?

[24:12–35:04]

• Ohio State Losing Seven First-Year Players in the Portal (vs. Seven in the Four Previous Years Combined)

  • Bill Landis’ Advice:

    “Play these guys more early...be purposeful about getting these guys on the field early...It’d be better for the fan base, too, to say, ‘I watched this guy play 85 snaps as a true freshman.’” (25:57)

  • Doug Lesmerises:

    “Is the idea of playing them tied to the idea of playing faster, so you have more snaps to play them?” (27:30)

  • Patrick Murphy:

    “Can you find a financial backer that is gonna pay you like Phil Knight or Mark Cuban? That’s the key right now...if you have more NIL money, you can pay more kids.” (29:08)

• Recruiting Class Size: Is 28 Too Many?

  • Bill Landis:

    “You don’t need to sign that many high school prospects if this is what the portal is going to be.” (37:11)

  • Patrick Murphy:

    “I’d pull back...maybe you go for your Jeremiah Smiths, your top quarterbacks, try and get those immediate impact guys, and then maybe fill in with Ohio guys or developmental types.” (38:09)

  • Dan Hope (counterpoint):

    “Keep signing big classes because you know you’re gonna lose guys. I think the thing that’s really going to be hard is keeping those second- and third-year guys who have typically been the core of your depth.” (39:07)

• Player Expectation Management

  • Dan Hope:

    “Very few freshmen come in thinking that way about themselves...All of these guys think they’re going to play immediately, the reality is most guys won’t, so there are going to be guys at year’s end who want an opportunity elsewhere.” (33:14)

4. Quarterback Julian Sayin: Areas for Growth in 2026

[41:42–51:58]

• Listener Question: What’s the next development for the Heisman finalist QB?

  • Doug Lesmerises:

    “Taking those shots down the field...Make sure when there's a chance to make a play down the field, that you take the opportunity, even if it’s not a perfect situation.” (42:34)

  • Patrick Murphy:

    “Vision and anticipation...there were too many times where we’re sitting in the press box, like, ‘oh, he missed that guy’...You don't get punished for that against Purdue, but you do against Miami.” (43:45)

  • Dan Hope:

    "Become more of a threat to make plays with his legs...It's really hard to win it all without a quarterback who poses some kind of running threat." (45:27)

  • Bill Landis:

    “Play looser, play more off of instinct...sometimes the ‘take care of the ball’ mantra does slow the process. I think just embracing the playmaking elements of the position will take him a long way.” (49:02)

• Memorable Moment:

  • “I think Joe Burrow does that really well...he doesn’t run a ton but does it enough, like Dan said, to keep you honest and he doesn’t take a ton of those hits because he’s smart about how he handles it.” – Patrick Murphy (47:36)

5. Indiana vs. Ohio State: Will Indiana Leapfrog the Buckeyes as Big Ten’s Best?

[52:31–61:59]

• Panel Ponders: What’s the percentage chance Indiana overtakes OSU as a program—not just for a season, but for 3–5 years?

  • Patrick Murphy:

    “It’s growing, but I still say 35%...The ability of the block-O to get you into any door in the country still carries more weight than the Indiana logo.” (53:30)

  • Dan Hope:

    “Long term? 5%. But over 3-5 years, maybe 20%—what Kurt Signetti’s done is fantastic, but Ohio State has been so recession proof.” (55:10)

  • Bill Landis:

    “Pretty low...It takes a whole lot to knock Ohio State from its perch. Even when Michigan State challenged, no one called them the Big Ten’s best program.” (57:37)

  • Doug Lesmerises:

    “If Indiana keeps investment high and Signetti stays...maybe 25–27%, just because the landscape is changing.” (60:58)

• Anecdote:

  • Discussion of Michigan State’s brief heyday and the hazards of “big-dog syndrome”—can a former underdog program handle success and sustain it, or do you lose your identity as you change how you win? (59:54)

Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• Dan Hope (on the new normal):

  “You can’t keep everybody happy and also win national championships.” (12:45)

• Bill Landis:

  “What if we made black stripes binding? Like you can’t transfer until you lose your black stripe.” (34:42)

• Doug Lesmerises, tongue-in-cheek:

  “Are we at the point Ohio State needs to throw in a couple three-and-nines to activate the billionaires? These Ohio State billionaires are spoiled.” (30:31)

• Patrick Murphy (on NIL):

  “If you have more NIL money, you can pay more kids, right?” (29:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Portal season word/summary: 03:33–12:06
• Roster building: high school vs. portal: 13:25–24:12
• Losing first-year players in the portal: 24:12–35:04
• Should OSU shrink recruiting classes? 36:23–41:42
• Julian Sayin’s development: 41:42–51:58
• Indiana vs. Ohio State as “Program”: 52:31–61:59

Panelists’ Final Words

• Patrick Murphy: “You can find my work at 247Sports or Bucknuts. It’s been a wild time—just trying to keep up with Ohio State’s transfer portal craziness.” (61:59)
• Dan Hope: “Dan_hope on X, 11warriors.com—our transfer portal tracker is working overtime!” (62:26)
• Bill Landis: “At Bill and Doug Substack—trying to keep track of these new Buckeyes and how they might fit, even as 28 leave!” (63:04)

Takeaways

• Ohio State has entered a period of roster tumult rarely seen in Columbus, with a significant philosophical shift toward leveraging the transfer portal for experienced players—even at the cost of losing top-rated young talent.
• The loss of first-year players is a major concern, and strategies to address it range from “play them more early” to “find more NIL money” to “sign fewer or more targeted freshmen.”
• Panelists expect Ohio State to end up aiming for about a third of key contributors to come from the portal, but much depends on future NCAA regulations and financial realities.
• Despite Indiana’s surge, the panel sees Ohio State’s institutional heft and tradition as providing substantial buffer—but they recognize the world is changing.

Episode’s Big Theme:
Ohio State is navigating a radical shift in roster-building, with new risks and opportunities—while chasing and defending elite status in a college football landscape where even perennial powers must adapt…or risk a “punch in the face.”