Omari Abor serves as a cautionary tale of the transfer portal and NIL in college football. He did not get paid what he expected after leaving Ohio State for not-so greener pastures.
It is the brutal reality of the modern era.
Abor, a former four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2022, began his career at Ohio State. The Texas-native committed to the Buckeyes over 26 other offers from schools like Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Florida, Georgia, USC, Texas and Oklahoma State.
However, the highly-touted edge rusher has yet to figure it out on the next level.
At 6-foot-3, 258 pounds, Abor was expected to make a difference on the defensive line in Columbus right away. It ultimately proved in his best interest to take a redshirt as a freshman and save his eligibility because he could not crack the depth chart. He then recorded only two tackles in 2023.
Not long thereafter, Abor decided to enter the transfer portal as a rising redshirt sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining. Money played a role in his decision to leave Ohio State and it completely backfired. The decision quite literally proved costly.
Omari Abor landed back in his home state at SMU. He once again recorded only two total tackles in 2024, his first season with the Mustangs.
Not only is the former top-100 recruit struggling to get on the field in a significant capacity, his paycheck is not anywhere close to what he thought. His team of advisors, whomever that may be, failed him.
Abor called the decision to leave Ohio State the “worst decision of his entire life” and told the people who encouraged him to transfer out for more money to S his D…
This is just one of countless examples where a highly-rated recruit struggled to find his place during the early portion of his career. Rather than staying put, he chose to chase a bigger bag elsewhere, only to find out that the grass is not greener.
Omari Abor may or may not decide to stay at SMU. The spring portal is about to open and declared his intention to re-enter the transfer portal back in December. No matter what happens, Abor wishes he never left Ohio State. Maybe the Buckeyes will take him back?