Jeremiah Smith didn’t sound like a receiver worried about Ohio State’s wideout room. He sounded like a guy looking around and seeing more answers than questions.
At the 2026 Big Ten Football Media Days on Thursday, the Buckeyes star said this is the deepest receiver group he’s had since arriving in Columbus, even after being part of a championship roster that included Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate ahead of the 2024 season.
“I think (compared to) my last two years, I think this is the most depth we got at the receiver position,” Smith said. “A lot of guys who can play and can do many different things.
So, it's gonna be pretty special this season, for sure. Those guys bring a lot.
“Devin (McCuin) and Kyle (Parker) - kinda like (Carnell Tate) did - the blocking and all the gritty stuff that Carnell was doing last year, they're in that role as well. So, I mean, those two guys fit in perfectly with our culture and the offense, so yeah.”
The names Smith pointed to were LSU transfer Kyle Parker and UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, and his comments carried more weight than a simple endorsement of two newcomers. He tied them directly to the kind of work Tate did last season, the unglamorous stuff that helps an offense hum even when the spotlight is elsewhere.
That matters because Ohio State’s receiver room is already loaded with options beyond the transfers. Five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. is living up to the hype, 3-star freshman Brock Boyd is outshining him, and team captain Brandon Inniss is back in the mix.
Still, Smith’s praise for Parker and McCuin stands out. He wasn’t just talking about chemistry on the field. He was saying they fit Ryan Day’s culture, the same one that leans on the black stripe system Urban Meyer started and Day has kept in place to make newcomers earn their way.
The bigger takeaway is what it means that Smith named two players in the conversation for replacing Tate’s production. That says plenty about Ohio State’s depth, but it also says something about what Tate brought when most people weren’t paying attention to him.
Parker and McCuin may also end up being a preview of where the Buckeyes could go next at receiver. Their success could shape how the staff thinks about the portal, especially with Cortez Hankton working through the 2027 and 2028 classes at a slower pace than some might expect.
Hankton comes from an LSU background that was comfortable leaning on transfers, and that experience could matter as Ohio State looks for the best way to support a quarterback who usually arrives ready to win right away. For a position as tough to master as receiver, veterans from other systems can offer a faster path than waiting on freshmen to develop.
If Parker and McCuin settle in quickly and build timing with Julian Sayin, their rise could push Day and his staff to treat the portal as an even bigger part of receiver recruiting going forward.
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Ohio State's Biggest Big Ten Threat Might Surprise Buckeye Fans
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Still, the more intriguing problem on the schedule may not come from the usual suspects. Indiana has emerged as a legitimate contender after a national-title run and has quickly earned respect under Curt Cignetti, enough to make this matchup feel like more than just another checkpoint on Ohio States path. For a team trying to get back on top of the Big Ten, the challenge may arrive in a place Buckeye fans might not have circled first. [Read more 🡒]