Khary Wilder wasted no time making noise in his Ohio State debut.
The freshman defensive lineman flashed in the Buckeyes’ blowout win over Ball State last Saturday, and he did it in a way that stood out even in a game full of young players getting their first real run. Ohio State entered the season opener with a chance to showcase members of its 2026 recruiting class, and names like Jay Timmons, Chris Henry Jr., Brock Boyd and Legend Bey all had moments. Wilder did, too - and then some.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. said Tuesday that he had seen this coming long before the first snap of the season.
"From day one," Kenyatta Jackson Jr. said Tuesday. "I mean, his energy from day one in camp, it was just like, oof.
You're going to be a really good player, for sure, and he showed it on Saturday. I mean, his first game in the show, called the Speed package, and he did what he did.
Just gotta build on it. ... He's in his own category, for sure.
He's going to be a real good player here, for sure."
Wilder’s first defensive snap as a Buckeye came on the opening play of the second quarter. Though he’s listed as a defensive end, the 6-4, 257-pound freshman was lined up inside on third-and-7 in Ohio State’s third-and-long Rushmen package. The group included Jackson, Zion Grady, James Smith and Wilder, and it immediately put Ball State in a tight spot.
TJ Alford ended up with the headline moment on that play when he grabbed the first interception of his Ohio State career, but Wilder helped make it happen. He fought through traffic, got through two offensive linemen and helped force Ball State quarterback Keldric Luster into a throw that never had a chance.
On the next Ball State possession, Ohio State went right back to the same Rushmen look on another third-and-7. Wilder made an even louder statement that time, tossing the Cardinals’ 6-2, 300-pound center to the turf and again helping flush Luster from the pocket. The quarterback escaped for a first down, but Wilder had already stacked another eye-catching rep onto his debut.
"Yeah, you could see the juice. You can see the athleticism.
Khary's a hard charger. You can see that," Ryan Day said Tuesday.
"You can see the energy. And the more he continues to show that, the more he's the opportunities he's going to have.
"Khary will continue to try to build his packages. He was in there on third down. But the more opportunity that he has to show us that he can make plays, the more reps he's going to get."
Even in a limited role, Wilder made the most of his 17 snaps, which were the fifth-most among Ohio State’s defensive ends. He wasn’t used in just one spot, either. Throughout the game, he lined up at both defensive end and defensive tackle, showing the kind of flexibility that can get a freshman on the field quickly.
He even showed up on kickoff coverage, which fits the usual path Ohio State has laid out for young players trying to earn more trust. Special teams work has long been part of the climb for freshmen, and Wilder appears to be following that route while carving out a defensive role at the same time.
For now, Ohio State looks like it has a freshman lineman it can move around and deploy in different ways. Wilder’s debut against Ball State suggested the Buckeyes already see him as more than just another young body in the rotation.
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