As Ohio State builds toward another national title push in 2026, the Buckeyes are leaning on the obvious headliners first. Jeremiah Smith and Julian Sayin sit at the top of that list.
But the season also hinges on something less flashy: a few former blue-chip recruits finally turning promise into production. Brandon Inniss is one of the biggest names in that group.
Inniss, a former five-star wideout, decided to return for one more season of college eligibility rather than enter the 2026 NFL Draft earlier this year. That choice now looks even more important after Carnell Tate left for the Tennessee Titans as the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Tate, like Inniss, came in as a five-star in the Class of 2023, ranked third among wide receivers nationally, just two spots ahead of Inniss. Along with four-star Noah Brown, that class gave then-wide receivers coach Brian Hartline a haul that looked special from the start.
The problem, of course, is that Ohio State’s receiver room has been crowded for a while. In 2023, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka were already in the mix, and Smith arrived in 2024 as the crown jewel of Zone 6. That made it tough for every wideout to get the spotlight at the same time, but Inniss’ numbers have still lagged behind the hype.
Smith is locked in as Sayin’s top target and should be the clear No. 1 option all season. From there, though, Inniss has a real chance to move up the pecking order and become the next dependable weapon.
The numbers show why that matters. Tate posted 52 catches for 733 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, then followed with 51 receptions for 875 yards and nine scores last year. Inniss, meanwhile, finished with 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown in 2024, then 36 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.
The two receivers do different jobs. Tate was the perimeter deep threat, the guy with elite tracking ability.
Inniss is more of an inside playmaker, quick and slippery with room to create after the catch. That skill set should give him a chance to matter more in the short and intermediate passing game.
Ohio State has also lost Quincy Porter, another five-star Hartline recruit who transferred to Notre Dame after making only a minimal impact last season. Even so, the door is not wide open for Inniss.
Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker are both incoming transfers who are already drawing attention as wins for Cortez Hankton, Hartline’s successor at wide receivers coach. McCuin is about 6 feet and around 190 pounds, while Parker is 5-10 and closer to Inniss’ listed 199 pounds.
Then there’s Chris Henry Jr., another five-star receiver and true freshman who is expected to grow into Tate’s old role on the outside. At 6-5 and 195 pounds, he profiles as the deep threat opposite Smith.
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has usually preferred two-wide receiver sets, which makes that spot opposite Jeremiah Smith especially competitive. Still, because the Buckeyes’ deepest group may be at slot receiver, there’s a chance Ohio State ends up using more three-wide sets than expected.
Even with the new offense in place, Ohio State should lean on Inniss’ familiarity with Smith and Sayin, especially early in the season. That experience may be the edge that finally helps him break through.
In Other News...
Jeremiah Smith Just Put Serious Weight Behind One Buckeyes Freshman
Big Ten Media Days usually bring the usual summer polish, but Jeremiah Smith gave Ohio State a little more than a canned answer when the conversation turned to freshman receiver Brock Boyd. Smith made it clear he has noticed Boyds playmaking already, and the praise carried extra weight coming from the Buckeyes top returning wideout, who knows what it looks like when a young receiver starts earning trust quickly.
Boyds path into the lineup is part of a broader competition that is still taking shape, with five receivers battling for three steady spots behind Smith. Brandon Inniss, Devin McCuin, Kyle Parker and Chris Henry Jr. are all in that mix, and Boyds emergence only adds another layer to a group that is trying to sort itself out before the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]
Ryan Day Just Hinted At An Ohio State Line Shakeup
Ohio States offensive line is still in the middle of a reset after last seasons uneven play, and Ryan Day made it clear the staff is not treating the coming weeks as a formality. With four starters back and a vacancy at right guard after Tegra Tshabolas departure, the Buckeyes are trying to sort out a group that can give the offense more stability and help quarterback Julian Sayin settle in with a cleaner picture up front.
Day pointed to Phillip Daniels as one of the players whose practice work could help determine the best five, and that kind of flexibility matters because the staff is still weighing how the pieces fit. The right guard competition is part of it, but so is the broader question of whether Ohio State can lock in a lineup early enough to avoid another season of shuffling, especially with Day saying this is the deepest the line has been since he took over. [Read more 🡒]
National Buzz Is Building Around Ohio States Next Receiver Threat
National attention is starting to follow Chris Henry Jr., and for good reason. Pete Nakos recently put the Ohio State freshman on his list of true freshmen who could make an immediate impact this season, a sign that the buzz around the receiver room is already reaching beyond Columbus. With Jeremiah Smith established as the headliner, the Buckeyes are still sorting out who else can step into meaningful snaps, and Henry Jr. has the kind of talent that keeps him in that conversation.
The opportunity is real because the depth chart behind Smith is still unsettled, leaving several young receivers to battle for limited spots. If Henry Jr. keeps flashing in camp, he could put himself in position to matter right away, which is exactly why his name is drawing so much interest before the season even starts. For Ohio State, the appeal is obvious: another high-end receiver threat emerging early would only deepen a room that already carries plenty of intrigue. [Read more 🡒]