COLUMBUS, Ohio -- College football’s new financial landscape is fundamentally changing how [Ohio State](https://www.cleveland.com/osu/) builds its vaunted wide receiver room, threatening the “irrational” dominance that produced five consecutive first-round NFL draft picks under Brian Hartline.
The days of loading up with four top-100 receivers in a single class? Those appear to be over.
“I think the days of Brian Hartline getting Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott Jr., Mookie Cooper who were all top 93 recruits and then following that up with Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison and Jaden Ballard who were all top 99 recruits, I think we’re done with those days,” Stefan Krajisnik declared on Buckeye Talk podcast.
This isn’t because Hartline has lost his recruiting touch – he remains arguably the nation’s premier position coach. Rather, it’s a direct result of the House settlement creating unofficial “salary caps” that force programs to make strategic financial decisions about roster construction.
The most telling example? Five-star receiver Dakorien Moore, who ultimately signed with Oregon despite serious Ohio State interest.
“I had a conversation with somebody earlier this spring and they were adamant about the idea that Dakorien Moore, who was the number one wide receiver in the country... would be in Columbus if this were 2017, 2018, 2019, like pre-NIL era,” Krajisnik revealed. “Adamantly telling me Decoran Moore would be here.”
The issue wasn’t Ohio State’s unwillingness to invest. It was about roster economics in an era where every financial commitment requires tradeoffs elsewhere — just like NFL teams managing their salary cap.
“If the NFL says the salary cap is $250 million for that season, well, that’s what you have to work with,” Krajisnik explained. “So if you’re going to give sign a guy for $35 million, OK, now you’re at 220, right? And that also takes into account maybe you’ve already got 112 million of those dollars taken up because you got guys who are returning on your staff.”
This new reality has already influenced Ohio State’s recruiting approach. While the Buckeyes secured five-star Jeremiah Smith in 2024, they’re increasingly balancing elite prospects with developmental pieces in subsequent classes.
Beyond financial considerations, there’s also the patience factor for young receivers who might be buried on Ohio State’s depth chart.
“If you’re not patient, you might feel like you’re going to have to wait a year longer than you wanted to,” Stephen Means noted. “Off the field, there might be some financial reasons because of the house settlement, not because of Ohio State not wanting to pay enough money.”
Brandon Inniss exemplifies this patience, staying at Ohio State despite limited opportunities behind Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka. But many top recruits won’t be so patient, especially when competing offers include both immediate playing time and competitive NIL packages.
This doesn’t mean Ohio State’s receiver excellence is ending – just evolving. Instead of collecting every five-star receiver possible, Hartline will likely be more selective, balancing elite recruits with developmental prospects who can flourish in his system.
The recruiting approach is changing, but the standard remains the same: produce NFL-ready receivers who dominate on Saturdays. The path just looks different in college football’s new financial reality.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Buckeye Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._