In the few days since Ohio State beat Notre Dame, social media trolls have been losing their mind over the Buckeyes getting to hoist the big gold trophy. There have been multiple complaints and excuses made by these folks, but the one they cling to most is claiming Ohio State bought a national championship. Sure they did.

It isn’t just the social media trolls who have harped on the $20 million OSU spent in NIL, members of the press are doing so as well. I don’t care if the Buckeyes spent $100 million because NIL money is LEGAL. Simply because they had the financial means to outspend all but two other schools, doesn’t mean they did anything below board.

Those who claim the Buckeyes bought a title refuse to acknowledge the overwhelming bulk of that NIL money was spent to keep their own players. They did not spend to bring in a plethora of transfers as some are claiming. Ryan Day and his staff added seven playersvia the transfer portal. SEVEN.

Of the twelve teams in the playoff, only two added fewer transfers than the Buckeyes (Clemson added none, Penn State added six). Of Ohio State’s four playoff opponents, Oregon added the most with 14, followed by Texas with 12, and Notre Dame and Tennessee with nine each. Indiana, who played the Buckeyes in the regular season, brought in 31 new players from the portal-the most of any playoff team. But, sure, the Buckeyes were the team trying to buy a championship.

When you look at the seven brought in by the Buckeyes, only Caleb Downs probably came with a big price tag, and deservedly so. Considering Quinshon Judkins was coming off consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at Mississippi, I don’t doubt he commanded a decent amount.

If the reports are accurate, the Buckeyes paid less for Will Howard than Notre Dame did for their quarterback, Riley Leonard. Alabama fans laughed at OSU for taking Seth McLaughlin after he had so much trouble with his snaps in the Rose Bowl and centers are exactly going to break anyone’s NIL bank. The same can be said for Will Kacmarek.

The former Ohio Bobcat became an integral part of the offense because of his blocking, but nobody is going to drop a bag of money on a tight end from a MAC school. Former five-star recruit Julian Sayin looks to be the future quarterback for the Buckeyes, but he was still only third-string this season.

After transferring from South Carolina, Keenan Nelson spent the entire season on special teams. He appeared in just 11 games and did not play at all against Notre Dame. He’s another who I’m sure did not break the NIL bank.

Opposing fans can taunt all they want, but the bottom line is the Buckeyes spent to keep their players, while supplementing the roster with a few key transfers. They spent wisely in the portal, not wildly. Ohio State