While Ohio State’s current team opens fall camp today, the NFL preseason is already set to start tonight in Canton with the Hall of Fame Game. And with former Buckeyes spread all over the league, there’s no shortage of names worth tracking once the 2026 season gets rolling.
That list starts at the top of the conversation for a lot of fans. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is coming off being named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season.
C.J. Stroud is trying to push the Houston Texans into a deeper playoff run.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is looking to rebound after a disappointing sophomore year with the Arizona Cardinals. Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson are heading into their second NFL seasons.
Justin Fields is in a spot where this could be his last real chance after spending the last three seasons with three different teams.
So the question is simple: which former Ohio State player are you most interested in watching this year?
Brett went with Chris Olave, and it’s not hard to see why. The New Orleans Saints wideout arrived as a first-round pick in 2022 and wasted no time producing, topping 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons.
Then came a rough 2024, when two concussions limited him to eight games and pushed his total to four since entering the league. At that point, plenty of people wondered whether he should even keep playing.
Olave came back anyway and answered with his best season yet. He started 16 games last year and set career highs with 100 catches, 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns.
His only missed game came in the season finale against Atlanta, when it was reported he had developed a blood clot in one of his lungs. Even with all that going on, he still earned second-team All-Pro honors as New Orleans finished strong, winning four of its last five after a 2-10 start in Kellen Moore’s first year as head coach.
There’s a path for more this season, too. The Saints are in an NFC South that Carolina won last year with an 8-9 record, and New Orleans has added more help around Olave.
Tyler Shough was solid as a rookie last season, going 5-4 in nine starts. The Saints also drafted Arizona State wideout Jordyn Tyson in the first round and signed Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne, giving the offense a few more weapons alongside Olave and tight end Juwan Johnson.
If Olave stays healthy, New Orleans has the look of a team that could surprise people.
Matt took a different route and chose C.J. Stroud, and that answer comes with a much bigger layer of pressure. There are flashier former Buckeyes to watch - Smith-Njigba after his huge year, Harrison still waiting for the breakout that feels inevitable, and the incoming rookies trying to find their footing - but none enters the 2026 season with more riding on it than Stroud.
That wasn’t always the case. After his near-perfect rookie year, Stroud looked like the next great quarterback in the NFL.
He was sharp, calm and immediately in command of a Texans team that had been going nowhere. For Buckeye fans, it also felt like the old debate about Ohio State quarterbacks finally had its answer.
The last two seasons have muddied that picture. In 2025, Stroud threw for career lows of 3,041 yards and 19 touchdowns, and Houston’s year ended with him throwing four interceptions and completing only 42.6% of his passes in a playoff loss to New England.
Now the question is no longer how fast he’ll rise. It’s whether 2023 was the start of something real or just the best version of a player who may never get all the way back there.
Matt still believes in him, and he pointed to what Stroud did at Ohio State as part of that confidence. There was plenty of noise in Columbus about whether Stroud had the right toughness or leadership, especially when fans latched onto every incomplete pass. Then came the Peach Bowl against Georgia, where he delivered one of the best quarterback performances in program history.
That game didn’t end with a title, but it showed what Stroud can look like when he’s playing loose and sure of himself. Houston needs that version again.
The Texans still view him as their quarterback, but they passed on a long-term extension this offseason, which makes Year 4 feel like a clear prove-it season. Houston has an elite defense and enough talent to matter, but if it’s going to get past the divisional round, it needs Stroud to look like the player who changed the franchise as a rookie.
For him, this year is about more than numbers or a new deal. It’s about getting back on the track that once looked unavoidable. Among all the former Buckeyes in the NFL, he may have the widest range of outcomes - and one of the most compelling stories to follow.
In Other News...
Ohio State Freshman RB Suddenly Has An Early Camp Problem
Legend Bey arrived in Columbus with the kind of freshman buzz that can make August practice feel bigger than it is, but his first camp with Ohio State already hit an early snag. The true freshman running back was absent for the opening day of fall practice after a suspension for violating team rules, leaving the Buckeyes to move ahead without one of their younger backfield additions while the rest of camp gets underway.
Ryan Day confirmed the suspension but stopped short of offering any specifics, which leaves Beys situation more clouded than most early-roster matters. For now, Ohio State can lean on other backs such as Bo Jackson and Isaiah West, but Beys absence adds a small layer of uncertainty to a position group where every rep in August can matter when playing time gets sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Biggest Camp Battle Could Define Julian Sayins Ceiling
Fall camp opened with Ohio State already giving some clues about how the offensive line might sort itself out, and the early look featured Austin Siereveld at right guard and Ian Moore at left tackle. Four starters from last season are back, which gives the Buckeyes a solid foundation up front, and Ryan Day has gone as far as saying this is the deepest offensive line he has had in his time running the program.
Even so, the first group is far from locked in, and that uncertainty matters because the line will help shape how far Julian Sayin can be pushed in this offense. One notable change in the mix is that Tegra Tshabola is not in the starting picture, which only adds another layer to a competition that could ripple well beyond camp if the Buckeyes find the right combination early. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Camp Opens With Pressure On Julian Sayin And A Rebuilt Defense
Fall camp opens Aug. 6 at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and Ohio State is entering it with plenty of familiar pieces but just as many questions to answer. Ryan Day sounded encouraged about getting key offensive players back in the mix, with quarterback Julian Sayin among the most important names as the Buckeyes start sorting out the depth chart and trying to build momentum before the season arrives.
The running back room is another spot Day pointed to as a preseason priority, and the offense is only part of the equation. Ohio State also has to weave in experienced defensive transfers to help cover the losses that went to the NFL Draft, making these early practices more than just a tune-up. For a team used to competing with national title expectations, how quickly that new mix comes together could shape the rest of camp. [Read more 🡒]