Ohio State and Notre Dame are set to play for a College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday. Neither team has won a title since 2014. Outside of the pandemic year, neither program has even played for a championship in the last decade.
To get over the hump, both made key offseason moves to bring their rosters up to championship caliber. Both hired offensive coordinators and added transfer quarterbacks. They retained key pieces and were intentional with portal targets. Heading into an unprecedented 16th game, the margins have meant more than ever.
Here are the key moves that each team made that helped shape national championship rosters, and the lessons they teach for teams that similarly want to contend in coming years.
Ohio State
Outdueling Miami for Jeremiah Smith
In the waning days of his recruitment, No. 1 overall prospect Jeremiah Smith wavered from his longtime Ohio State commitment. Smith pledged to Brian Hartline and the Buckeyes two full years earlier when his immense talent was only starting to reveal itself. As he exploded on the scene, he drew more attention and NIL offers from big programs. Miami in particular put together a lucrative offer in an attempt to sway Smith toward South Beach.
Ultimately though, Ohio State came through with a late recruiting charge and an NIL package to keep Smith's camp happy. At his national signing day press conference, Ohio State coach Ryan Day mocked a sigh of relief.
In his first season, Smith has proven himself to be worth the trouble. He caught 71 passes for 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns and shattered every Ohio State freshman record. As the stage got bigger, so did his play. He grabbed 13 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns in his first two CFP games. He was held to just one catch for three yards in the CFP semifinal against Texas, but he drew consistent double teams and opened up opportunities for Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate. If Ohio State wins the national championship, Smith will be one of the biggest reasons why.
Retaining the defense
Ohio State has garnered a reputation for explosive offenses under Day, but the Buckeyees' stout defense has really powered this championship run. They hired Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator in 2022 to fix a lackluster unit, but the 2024 unit is his masterpiece thanks to the sheer number of players who turned down the NFL Draft.
Defensive ends JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer were projected Day 2 NFL Draft picks, but turned down the opportunity. Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams joined them. At defensive back, Denzel Burke, Lathan Ransom and Jordan Hancock were all projected to the draft. Instead, the trio came back.
Additionally, Ohio State brought in game-changing defensive back Caleb Downs from Alabama. Downs earned All-America status and was the final piece on a DB-driven Knowles defense.
Ohio State ranks No. 1 nationally in total defense, yards per play defense and scoring defense. Experience matters.
Hiring Chip Kelly
There are several other key players who joined Ohio State over the offseason who deserve mention, including quarterback Will Howard (Kansas State), running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss) and center Seth McLaughlin (Alabama). However, the guy calling the plays stands above the rest.
Chip Kelly was a successful coach at UCLA and led Oregon to a 46-7 record, including an appearance in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. In February, Kelly voluntarily left a head coaching job with the Bruins to join Day at Ohio State as offensive coordinator. Kelly was Day's offensive coordinator when he was a player at New Hampshire and the pair have a long relationship. Day was quarterbacks coach on Kelly's 49ers staff before he was plucked away to run Urban Meyer's offense at Ohio State.
For the first five years of his Ohio State tenure, Day was the Buckeyes' primary play caller. In the College Football Playoff era, no play calling coach has ever won a national championship. It was a difficult decision for Day to give up the responsibility, but Kelly has helped free him up to focus on the rest of the team.
Notre Dame
Locking in coordinators
Defensive coordinator Al Golden was one of the initial hires on Marcus Freeman's staff in 2022. It was Golden's first coordinator job since 2005 at Virginia and first trip back to college football since his underwhelming tenure at Miami. Over the offseason, Notre Dame hired Max Bullough as linebackers coach, allowing Golden to fully focus on coordinating the defense to great effect. Special teams coordinator Marty Biagi was retained from the previous staff, and he helped one of the top special teams units in the country.
On the other side, Notre Dame took a big swing by targeting LSU offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. The longtime Brian Kelly ally was fresh off coaching Jayden Daniels to a Heisman Trophy with the Tigers and had another great quarterback right behind him Garrett Nussmeier. Instead, Denbrock opted to return to Notre Dame, where he spent seven years with Kelly from 2010-16.
Freeman makes the program go, but Notre Dame is one of the best-coached programs in college football at every level. Even when they've lost players to injuries, Denbrock, Golden and Biagi have consistently come up with plans to compensate.
Recruiting Riley Leonard
When Notre Dame recruited Leonard to campus, the program thought it was getting a future NFL passer. After struggling with injuries for years, Leonard's downfield passing ability has been diminished, dropping from 9.2 to 7.6 yards per target. But after some rethinking from Denbrock, Leonard has become one of the most important players in college football this season.
In the absence of a dropback passing game, Leonard has emerged as one of the most physical quarterback runners in recent memory. During a critical upset over Georgia, Leonard threw for only 90 yards, but added 80 yards and several key conversions. He rushed for a career high 866 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024. And while his arm isn't elite, Leonard made game-deciding throws to Jaden Greathouse against Penn State and Beaux Collins against Georgia.
More than anything, Leonard is a winner. After leading Duke to a nine-win season, he has Notre Dame sitting on a 13-game winning streak and back in the national championship game for the first time since 2012. He makes winning plays.
Keeping defensive stars
Notre Dame's talent level has grown consistently across Freeman's tenure and numerous underclassmen have entered the starting lineup. However, the leaders of the room are a pair of mainstays who turned down NFL prospects to come back for their final years of eligibility.
Safety Xavier Watts earned All-America honors last season as one of the most disruptive players in the country. Watts started his career as a wide receiver before transitioning to linebacker and then safety, posting nation-leading 13 interceptions over the past two seasons. Defensive lineman Howard Cross was among the best interior linemen in college football last season, but decided to follow Watts back to school in hopes of winning a championship. He elevated himself as a pass rusher and also earned All-America honors.
Now, Watts and Cross are the linchpins of the passing and rushing defense. Both have been sensational in the College Football Playoff and will leave South Bend as program legends. Neither had to come back, but their returns changed everything.
