Ohio State opened fall camp on Thursday, and the first day already offered a few clues about which players are starting to separate from the pack.
One of the names to watch is transfer wide receiver McCuin, who arrived from the portal after three seasons at UTSA. Last season with the Roadrunners, he played in 12 games and finished with 726 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The Buckeyes have their top two wideouts set with Jeremiah Smith and slot receiver Brandon Innis, but McCuin could push for the second outside spot opposite Smith.
At running back, West was the more notable first-day development. He shared a productive backfield last season with Bo Jackson, who took over as the No. 1 back by the third game of the year while West settled in as the No. 2 option by midseason. Jackson was supposed to open camp as the lead back, but West took the first-team reps on Thursday instead, and head coach Ryan Day made it clear he noticed the work West put in over the offseason.
“You can see his body,” Day said after practice on Thursday. “You can see the work he's put in.
He had a tremendous offseason, one of the best in the whole building. Consistency, and when he was in there last year, he showed some real good things.
So we want him to take the next step, just as we do Bo.”
The biggest surprise came in the secondary, where Ohio State brought in cornerback Kelly from Georgia this winter and had him working with the first team right away. That was the most unexpected of the three developments, because the outside corner jobs were thought to be spoken for already.
Devin Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. were projected to start outside this season, but Mathews was the one who slid behind Kelly on Day 1. Kelly was a true freshman last season and barely saw the field for Georgia, which makes his quick rise in camp stand out even more. It also suggests he made a strong impression in spring practice on Day and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, enough to earn first-team reps over Mathews, who could have entered the NFL Draft this past winter.
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