The Ohio State Buckeyes roster is all but set, and the first look at the full wide receiver room is...concerning.
The Ohio State Buckeyes' roster totally flipped over from last season to this season, especially at the wide receiver position. From the top to the bottom, the Buckeyes are going to look totally different from what it was and what it has been in the past five season.
Ohio State's calling card for their entire program has been very good to great at every position and elite at the wide receiver position. Every year, there are at least two players at that position who have jaw-dropping talent.
Whether it was Garrett Wilson and Jaxon Smith-Njgba, Marvin Harrison and Emeka Egbuka, Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith, or Smith and Carnell Tate, there has always been a pairing of elite players at that position. Because of the Buckeyes' dominance in that position room, they have been able to continue as one of the top programs in the country year over year.
While the latter statement will continue to be true, the reality that they have a top wide receiver group will not be the case in 2026.
The Buckeyes decided in the transfer portal to try to build their team just like the Indiana Hoosiers. They cut ties with a lot of their young and expensive talent at the skill positions in exchange for veteran talent on defense and at the tight end position.
They invested very little at the wide receiver position and the depth chart, and potentially production, reflects this.
The departures from Ohio State's wide receiver position have been Carnell Tate to the NFL draft, and then five stars Mylan Graham, Quincy Porter, and Bryson Rogers, who all left the Buckeyes' program.
They replaced those guys with Devin McCuin from UTSA and Kyle Parker from LSU. Jeremiah Smith, obviously, is still going to be the best player in America yet again next season, but behind him, wide receivers two-through-five barely match the production of Smith.
Last sesaon, Smith finished with 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. Brandon Inniss, McCuin, and Parker combined last year for 132 catches for 1,327 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Ohio State's backups equate to one Smith, and that is who they are going to rely on going into next year.
If Ohio State had the same schedule that they did in 2025, I would say that there isn't room for major concern. However, they have a very, very tough schedule on their hands for next season, and the way that their receiver position is setting up is incredibly concerning.
The Buckeyes will be very solid everywhere on offense, but they will need someone to step up behind Jeremiah Smith next year. No one knows who it will be, but it needs to be one of the new guys that they have committed to for 2026.
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