Ohio State’s season opener against Ball State should tell us a lot less about the final score than about the shape of this 2026 team.
The Buckeyes are favored by more than 50 points, so the result isn’t really the point. What matters is the first real look at how a roster loaded with familiar names and fresh faces fits together, and which parts of the new-look team show up immediately when the season starts Saturday.
One of the biggest things to watch is how Ohio State deploys its freshmen. Chris Henry Jr. is the obvious headliner, and there’s real intrigue around whether he steps right into the WR2 role opposite Jeremiah Smith.
That spot was previously held by Carnell Tate, who went No. 4 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, so the pressure is baked in. Henry Jr. arrives with huge expectations of his own, and it will be interesting to see whether his first college game looks like Jeremiah Smith’s debut against Akron, when he caught six passes for 92 yards and 2 TDs, or whether there are some early growing pains.
Henry Jr. is far from the only first-year player worth tracking. Jay Timmons has been one of the more interesting names in preseason camp, especially with Ohio State having to replace several key pieces in the secondary, including Caleb Downs, Davison Igbinosun and Lorenzo Styles.
The Buckeyes added Earl Little Jr., Terry Moore and Cam Calhoun through the transfer portal, and the expectation had been that Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez would handle corner with Jaylen McClain, Moore and Little Jr. at safety. Timmons, though, could make things more complicated if he pushes for time right away.
There are also the other young receivers. Brock Boyd and Jerquaden Guilford were both highly touted prospects, and even if the depth chart is crowded, they have the kind of talent that could get them on the field early.
Then there’s Legend Bey, who might be the most intriguing wildcard of the group. His recruitment was one of the more dramatic ones around, and now he’s at Ohio State, where he always wanted to be.
The question is how Ryan Day and Arthur Smith will use him. He could show up at running back, wide receiver or H-back, and his speed gives the Buckeyes a potential secret weapon.
For all the buzz around the freshmen, the bigger schematic question may be the one tied to Arthur Smith. Ball State won’t reveal everything, and Ohio State has no reason to put much on tape with Texas looming next week. Still, this is the first chance to see what Smith’s offense actually looks like with Ohio State’s talent.
Smith’s track record points to physical running games, multiple tight ends, play action, pre-snap movement and an offense that makes defenses work without leaning on a quarterback throwing it 45 times a game. But Ohio State is not the Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons or Pittsburgh Steelers, and nobody expects Smith to force a ground-and-pound identity onto a roster built around Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and a loaded group of skill players.
That makes Saturday useful. How often does Ohio State line up in two-tight-end sets?
How much motion and misdirection shows up? Do the Buckeyes make a point of getting Bo Jackson and Isaiah West involved early, even with the passing game there for the taking?
What does the play-action game look like with Sayin? And what does Ohio State do with Arthur Smith calling the offense that it would not have done a year ago, especially in the red zone?
The opener probably won’t answer all of that, and maybe even Texas won’t. But it should at least start to show what kind of offense Smith wants to build in Columbus.
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For a program that expects to reload without losing its edge, the mix is telling. Brandon Inniss, Austin Siereveld, Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith give the offense a core with both star power and accountability, while the defensive side brings its own steady voices. The real message is less about individual labels than what those choices suggest about how Ohio State wants to be led heading into 2026. [Read more 🡒]