Mark Pantoni, General Manager and Director of Player Personnel at Ohio State, joins The Program to pull back the curtain on the rapidly evolving "front office" of college football.

From his humble beginnings as an undergraduate pre-med student at Florida—where his first task for Urban Meyer was hand-writing 400 envelopes a day—to now managing what is essentially a collegiate "salary cap," Pantoni shares the blueprint for building a career in player personnel. He discusses the shift from relationship-based recruiting to agent-led negotiations and how the "Indiana model" is changing how big programs value veteran experience over high school potential.

In this episode, Woj and Mark discuss:

• The Non-Traditional Path: How a pre-med student with no playing background became one of the most powerful executives in college football.

• The Evolution of Recruiting: Transitioning from VHS tapes and handwritten letters to managing NIL valuations and transfer portal "free agency."

• The "Switzerland" Approach: Why Pantoni has to remain emotionally detached from players to make fair, data-driven financial decisions for the locker room.

• The High School vs. Portal Dilemma: Analyzing the "dead money" risk of high school recruits versus the immediate impact of veteran transfers.

• Building a Front Office: How Ohio State has structured its personnel department to mirror an NFL scouting operation.

• Red Flags for Recruits: Why something as simple as being on your phone during a visit can change a staff's evaluation of your "football IQ" and maturity.

Subscribe to The Program with Woj for more inside looks at the architects of modern sports.

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