Staff Directory
- Position:
- General Manager, Player Personnel
Mark Pantoni joined the Ohio State football program in 2012 and serves as the program’s General Manager, Player Personnel. In this role, he supervises all administrative duties for personnel and recruiting, including NIL negotiations, high school and transfer portal film evaluations, on-campus official and unofficial visits, and roster construction and management.
Pantoni’s strong relationships with prospects and their families, combined with his meticulous attention to detail and administrative expertise, have helped Ohio State annually secure Top 5 recruiting classes. This includes five consecutive Top 5 classes in the 247Sports rankings (#4 in 2025, #5 in 2023, #4 in 2022, #2 in 2021 and #5 in 2020), a No. 2 ranking in 2018, and a 2017 class that produced the highest per-player average in 247Sports Composite history.
Under his guidance, Ohio State also secured the nation’s fifth-ranked transfer portal class for the 2026 season. During Pantoni’s tenure, the Buckeyes have consistently been at the forefront of identifying and landing impact transfers, including two-time All-American safety Caleb Downs (the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys), quarterback Will Howard, who transferred from Kansas State and led Ohio State to the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship, and quarterback Julian Sayin, who transferred from Alabama after the 2023 season before starting in 2025 and finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Pantoni’s recruiting efforts have earned him numerous honors, including being named the best recruiting personnel person in the country by The Athletic in December 2021 and the FootballScoop 2014 Director of Player Personnel of the Year after being a finalist in 2013.
He started at Ohio State in December 2011 after six years at the University of Florida, where he was part of two national championship teams. His Florida responsibilities included serving as recruiting program coordinator for two seasons and as director of football administration from March 2011 through the end of the 2011 regular season. Pantoni also helped develop Florida’s highly successful “Friday Night Lights” summer camp showcase, a concept that continues each July at Ohio Stadium.
A Sarasota, Florida native, Pantoni grew up in Sarasota and attended the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor’s degree (summa cum laude, 2004) and a master’s degree (2006) in applied physiology and kinesiology.
His wife, the former Kristin O’Berry, is also a Florida native (Jacksonville) and a University of Florida graduate. The couple has twins: son Hayden and daughter Madison.
