Ohio State’s Legend Bey is already becoming one of the loudest names in Columbus, and the buzz around the freshman running back only seems to grow every time the program opens its mouth about him.
That’s saying something, because Bey has already dealt with a few bumps along the way. He missed the first two days of preseason camp for a violation of team rules, and earlier in the spring he spent time without his original jersey number.
None of that has slowed the chatter. If anything, it has made the whole thing feel more real, because the praise keeps coming from people who see him every day.
Jeremiah Smith added the latest jolt, telling reporters that he believes Bey could win the Heisman Trophy one day at Ohio State. Not just be in the mix. Win it.
Andrew Gillis, while speaking on Buckeye Talk, summed up how the hype has built from different corners of the program: “It was Ryan Day comparing him to mini Tyreek Hill in February. It was Carlos Locklyn in April... saying it looks like art when he’s running. It was Jeremiah Smith saying he’s going to be a Heisman finalist or a win the Heisman Trophy one day at Ohio State.”
That kind of repetition matters. It’s not one person getting carried away. It’s a pattern, with three voices inside the program pointing to the same explosive talent.
And there’s a concrete sign that Bey has earned more than just attention. He shed his black stripe during camp, which at Ohio State is a meaningful milestone for newcomers.
The stripe comes off when coaches decide a player has fully bought into the program - mentally, physically and culturally. It’s not simply a reward for talent.
Means put it simply: “He’s figured it out... And now we get to watch him and enjoy him as a football player.”
So the picture is pretty clear: a freshman with elite speed, strong praise from Ryan Day and Carlos Locklyn, a Heisman prediction from Jeremiah Smith and a black stripe that’s gone from his helmet. What comes next is how Ohio State chooses to use him.
That possibility is where the intrigue really spikes. Gillis suggested Bey could be the kind of piece that fits into the Arthur Smith offensive scheme in a way opponents won’t fully see coming: “That might be like the hidden Swiss Army knife that Ohio State unveils that the world doesn’t really know about right now.”
In an offense players have described as having “plays on plays on plays,” a weapon like Bey can create all sorts of problems if he’s moved around creatively. He has the kind of speed that can stress a defense from multiple spots, and if Ohio State is willing to get inventive, opposing coordinators may be in for a long time in the film room.
Sept. 5 against Ball State probably won’t reveal the full picture. Sept. 12 against Texas might. That’s when Ohio State could give everyone a better sense of what Bey brings - and why the people around the program have been trying so hard not to let the hype run away from them.
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If the draft holds, the Indiana game would land in the noon window on FOX with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt on the call, while Oregon would get a 3:30 p.m. FOX slot with Brad Nessler and Charles Davis. For Ohio State, the network placement matters almost as much as the opponent in a season built around marquee dates, and these early TV hints only sharpen the intrigue around two games that should carry plenty of weight in the Big Ten race. [Read more 🡒]