One Former Five-Star Recruit Who Is Finally Ready To Break Out for Ohio State

As the Ohio State Buckeyes gear up for another run at the National Championship in 2026, they’ll be counting on a number of bona fide stars to lead them all the way to the promised land, with wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin as the top names.

However, they’ll also need for a number of promising recruits to finally break out and contribute in the way that was originally planned when they arrived in Columbus for the first time.

Among those waiting to truly blossom is former five-star wideout Brandon Inniss, who chose to come back for a final season of college eligibility instead of jumping to the 2026 NFL Draft earlier this year.

The path towards a greater offensive role has opened up for Inniss after Carnell Tate left to become the fourth overall pick for the Tennessee Titans in the 2026 NFL Draft. Like Inniss, Tate was a five-star recruit for the Class of 2023 and the third-ranked wideout in the country, just two spots above Inniss in what would prove to be -- along with four-star Noah Brown -- a historical catch for then wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.

While it was always gonna be hard for all of the Buckeyes wideouts to shine brightly at the same time, especially with guys like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka already on the team in ‘23, and the arrival of the crown jewel of Zone 6, Smith, in 2024, Inniss’ production to date hasn’t been up to par with the hype coming in.

All that should be about to change.

Smith will certainly be the No. 1 target for Sayin all season long, as he should be. He might be the best wide receiver prospect in the game since Calvin Johnson or Randy Moss, depending on who you ask.

But with Tate gone, Inniss should find a way to catapult himself as the second-best option. That means we should see a significant bump in production, as well.

Tate was able to haul in 52 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns in 2024, and 51 passes for 875 yards and nine scores last year. Meanwhile, Inniss only mustered 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown in 2024, and 36 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.

And while Tate and Inniss are obviously very different types of receivers, with the former being a perimetral deep threat with elite tracking skills, and the latter a shifty inside option with elusiveness and yards-after-catch potential, what Inniss should be able to do is amplify his importance in the offense by exploiting the short and intermediate game.

One more absence that we haven’t talked about is that of Quincy Porter, another five-star recruit for Hartline who transferred to Notre Dame after minimal impact in the Buckeyes’ offense last year.

Who will Brandon Inniss’ competition be?

The fact that Tate and Porter are gone doesn’t mean the path is totally clear for Inniss up ahead.

A couple of noteworthy incoming transfers will be vying for targets. Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker are already being hailed as wins for Hartline’s successor, wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton. McCuin is about the same 6-feet in height as Inniss, but considerably lighter at around 190 pounds, while Parker is shorter at 5-10, but closer to Inniss’ listed weight of 199 pounds.

And the Buckeyes are expecting big things from yet another five-star wide receiver, true freshman Chris Henry Jr., who projects to eventually take on Tate’s former role on the outside as a deep threat opposite Smith at 6-5 and room to build upon his 195 pounds.

New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has historically favored two-wideout sets, meaning there’s a ton of competition for that one spot opposite Smith, but since the real depth at Ohio State seems to lie within the slot position, we could see more three-wide receiver sets than originally expected.

In any case, and despite a new offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes, Ohio State should lean heavily on Inniss’ experience playing alongside Smith and Sayin, especially during the first half of the season.

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