third-fastest black stripe removal ever<\/a> for a freshman (behind only Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate) since Urban Meyer started the tradition at Ohio State in 2012.\n<\/p>\n\n\tAn unusually polished route runner for a freshman, Boyd quickly won the approval of his coaches this spring with consistent technique and demonstrated his potential to make an impact for the Buckeyes far more quickly than originally expected.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cHe’s made plays when his number has been called,\u201d Hankton said this spring. \u201cWhat makes Brock truly a good football player is his football IQ, first and foremost. As a young guy, he’s truly instinctive, and he understands conceptual football. His dad is a high school football coach, so he comes from a family where they live, eat, and breathe football. So he understands the game like he’s a three-year college student, like he’s been here a while, so he’s been really fun to coach.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBoyd isn\u2019t the same physical specimen as Henry, and he had a quieter finish to spring with only two catches for 21 yards in the spring game. But while he\u2019s not as likely to be an immediate starter as Henry, the 6-foot-1, 184-pound Texan put himself in great position to earn an instant spot on the two-deep, which wasn\u2019t widely expected entering the spring.\n<\/p>\n
\tDevin McCuin and Kyle Parker<\/p>\n
\n\tWhile the freshmen stole the headlines, Ohio State\u2019s transfer receivers shouldn\u2019t be overlooked either as players who could make a significant impact for the Buckeyes this season. McCuin and Parker took the most first-team reps at wide receiver alongside Smith and fellow returning starter Brandon Inniss this spring, and both of them made plenty of plays in the process.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMcCuin started the spring game alongside Smith and Inniss and was the biggest standout of Ohio State\u2019s Student Appreciation Day practice, where he consistently made plays with his speed and explosiveness after the catch. Parker also showed plenty of speed and big-play ability this spring and lost his black stripe even faster than Boyd, as he and transfer safety Earl Little Jr. were the first players to shed their stripes this spring following Ohio State\u2019s fifth practice of the year.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBoth transfers were productive at their previous schools \u2013 McCuin at UTSA and Parker at LSU \u2013 and their performance in their first spring as Buckeyes indicated that that should translate to making an impact for Ohio State this season.\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cSeeing a couple of veteran guys go out there and make plays, know exactly what they’re doing,\u201d Day said of Parker and McCuin this spring. \u201cPros already, you can just see it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\tTwo Lingering Questions<\/p>\n
\t1. Will a second star emerge opposite Jeremiah Smith?<\/p>\n
\n\tDating back to Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in 2019, Ohio State has had at least two future first-round picks playing major roles in their receiving corps for each of the last seven seasons. Coming out of this spring, however, Ohio State has only one sure-fire star at the position.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tIt couldn\u2019t have a bigger star than Jeremiah Smith, who\u2019s already been the best wide receiver in college football for two years. But the emergence of at least one more weapon that defenses must consistently account for is crucial to prevent defenses from focusing all of their coverage efforts on slowing down Smith.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBrandon Inniss is a returning starter, but he didn\u2019t break out the way he was expected to last season, catching just 36 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. Henry certainly has the attributes to be a future first-round pick, but he\u2019s still an unproven freshman. McCuin and Parker both look like they should be quality contributors for the Buckeyes, but they\u2019d still have to make a big leap to be the next Carnell Tate or Emeka Egbuka.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThis spring showed that Ohio State has plenty of candidates to be productive receivers this season, but there\u2019s still more uncertainty around who Ohio State\u2019s No. 2 receiver will be than there has been entering any previous season this decade.\n<\/p>\n
\t2. How many receivers will actually play?<\/p>\n
\n\tOhio State didn\u2019t rotate frequently at receiver during Brian Hartline\u2019s tenure as wide receivers coach, especially in his later years. But with only one established star at the position and five other receivers making a strong push for playing time, Hankton has reason to consider rotating much more regularly in his first year as Ohio State\u2019s wide receivers coach.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tHe\u2019s been inclined to rotate before; at LSU last season, six different receivers (including Parker) played more than 200 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.\u00a0He didn\u2019t have anyone there like Smith, who\u2019s still likely to play nearly every snap in close games, but there could be plenty of rotation between Inniss, Henry, McCuin, Parker and Boyd at the other spots unless one or two of them separate themselves as Ohio State\u2019s clear-cut second- and third-best receivers. We won\u2019t know exactly what rotation will look like in practice, however, until the actual games begin.\n<\/p>\n
\tDepth Chart Projection<\/p>\n
\tWide Receiver (X)<\/p>\n
\n\t1. Jeremiah Smith
2. Brock Boyd
3. Jerquaden Guilford
4. David Adolph\n<\/p>\n
\tWide Receiver (Z)<\/p>\n
\n\t1. Chris Henry Jr.
2. Devin McCuin
3. Phillip Bell
4. Nolan Baudo\n<\/p>\n
\tWide Receiver (Slot)<\/p>\n
\n\t1. Brandon Inniss
2. Kyle Parker
3. De\u2019zie Jones
4. Jaeden Ricketts\n<\/p>\n
\n\tHenry projects as a true X receiver and Smith\u2019s heir apparent at that position, but specific receiver positions matter less than getting the best three receivers on the field, and Henry appears on a trajectory to be one of Ohio State\u2019s top three receivers immediately.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tThat said, McCuin and Parker should also see regular playing time in this year\u2019s rotation, and Boyd could as well if he builds off his excellent first spring with a strong preseason camp. All of them have the skill sets to play both outside and in the slot, while Inniss will also likely see more snaps outside this year than he did last year, making this a more positionless receiver room than years past.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tGuilford is another talented freshman who was ranked as a top-50 prospect in the 2026 class, while Bell and Jones both showed some flashes this spring as redshirt freshmen, but there\u2019s simply no room for them on the two-deep right now. Adolph was on the two-deep last year and will be a regular on special teams, but he\u2019s unlikely to see significant action on offense this year with the Buckeyes\u2019 improved depth out wide.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\tPost-Spring Outlook<\/p>\n
\n\tOhio State might not have a second receiver on this year\u2019s roster who\u2019s as elite this season as recent No. 4 overall NFL draft pick Carnell Tate, but this spring showed that Ohio State\u2019s 2026 wide receiver unit could be its deepest receiving corps in several years.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tSmith is Ohio State\u2019s No. 1 wide receiver by a wide margin, and he\u2019s the biggest reason Ohio State\u2019s wide receiver room will be the envy of the nation once again. But Henry gives the Buckeyes another potential breakout star while Inniss, McCuin, Parker and Boyd give the Buckeyes a wide variety of weapons that they could mix and match in the lineup this offseason to create headaches for defenses.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAfter all of those receivers had their months this spring, preseason camp will go a long way toward determining who plays the most alongside Smith and who ultimately emerges as Ohio State\u2019s No. 2 and No. 3 receivers this season. But even with Hartline and Tate gone, there\u2019s good reason to believe Zone 6 will continue to be WRU in 2026 with all the talent Ohio State\u2019s accumulated at the position, led by a unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff Award frontrunner in Smith.\n<\/p>\n