Buckeye Backers Podcast

Seattle Matt's Hot Take on Arthur Smith to Ohio State, Portal Madness Recap & Super Bowl Buckeyes

Buckeye Backers dives deep into the 2026 transfer portal Recap with Cody Croy—Ohio State lost over 30 scholarship players but reloaded with 16+ impact additions, including standout safeties, Alabama defenders, and more to set up a loaded 2026 roster. We break down the biggest comings and goings!

Then, we shift to the NFL: Four former Buckeyes are set to light up Super Bowl LX as the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots, with stars like Jaxon Smith-Njigba (fresh off a monster season), TreVeyon Henderson, Thayer Munford Jr., and head coach Mike Vrabel carrying the scarlet and gray banner to the biggest stage.

To wrap it up, Seattle Matt drops his unfiltered take on Ryan Day's bold hire of former Steelers OC (and ex-Falcons HC) Arthur Smith as Ohio State's new offensive coordinator—what this NFL experience means for Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, Bo Jackson, and the Buckeyes' 2026 offense after a rollercoaster year.

Buckeye football never sleeps—hit play for the full recap, analysis, and hot takes! #GoBucks #Buckeyes #BuckeyeBackers

Buckeye Backers: Top 5 Transfer Portal Wins & Gut-Punch Losses – Ohio State's 2026 Reload!

Cody Croy Joins the Buckeyes in the Big League, UFL talk and more

Massive roster turnover (with ~30 scholarship players out and 11+ high-impact additions so far), the drama, and the Buckeyes' aggressive reloading strategy. The transfer portal window has been a rollercoaster for Ohio State – with a program-record 30+ scholarship players departing (including big names like Lincoln Kienholz, Jelani Thurman, Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West, and key contributors like Carnell Tate, Quincy Porter, and more) and the Buckeyes aggressively reloading with 11+ impact transfers!In this episode, we rank the top portal losses that hurt the most (from defensive backs and skill position depth to defensive line pieces) and the standout additions that could instantly upgrade the roster – like former five-star Alabama DL James Smith (top-ranked interior lineman in the portal), his Crimson Tide teammate EDGE Qua Russaw, ACC standout safeties Earl Little Jr. (Florida State) and Terry Moore (Duke), veteran LB Christian Alliegro (Wisconsin), and others bolstering the secondary, tight end room, and trenches. We break down the biggest hits, the smartest pickups, how these moves set up the Buckeyes to compete for another title, and what holes still need filling before the window closes. Is this a net win for Ryan Day's squad despite the exodus? Tune in live – let's talk Buckeye portal chaos and comebacks! #GoBucks #TransferPortal #OhioStateFootball

Vandy Chris from Vandy Backers and Mike Germanese from Wolverine Backers join the Show to talk Offseason and National Championship:

In the NIL and transfer portal era, college football's old guard—the sacred blue bloods with decades of tradition, national titles, and prestige—is watching its recruiting edges erode fast. Programs with deep pockets and aggressive "green blood" strategies (think Oregon's Nike-backed empire, Texas Tech's rapid rise via massive NIL hauls, Indiana's Moneyball-style portal plays, and others leveraging revenue sharing and donor cash) are landing top transfers and flipping five-stars without relying solely on history or geography.