We got our first taste of something resembling Ohio State football action in the 2026 calendar year on Saturday as the Buckeyes took the field for their annual spring game. Symboling the end of the spring practice period, it is the last time Ryan Day’s group will take the field in a semi-competitive nature until they host Ball State in the season opener on Sept. 5.
So naturally, we are going to take this glorified scrimmage and make three (potentially) outlandish projections based on what we saw on the
field at Ohio Stadium this past weekend…
1) Chris Henry Jr. is the No. 2 WR in the Big Ten
While basing this purely off a spring game performance is obviously a little over the top, there’s a chance this prediction winds up not being so outlandish after all.
Chris Henry Jr. comes to Columbus with similar hype to that of his predecessor Jeremiah Smith — the clear and obvious No. 1 wide receiver in the Big Ten and in the country heading into the 2026 season. The 6-foot-5 Cincinnati native finished up his prep career on the West Coast at Mater Dei, ranking as the No. 1 WR and No. 10 overall prospect in the final Rivals Industry Ranking for the 2026 class.
With Carnell Tate off to the NFL and lackluster production behind he and Smith last year, the No. 2 and No. 3 wide receiver spots at Ohio State are currently up for grabs. There are a ton of guys in play to take those spots, including the incumbent Brandon Inniss alongside transfers Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker as well as fellow freshmen Jerquaden Guilford and Brock Boyd.
That said, after Saturday’s showcase, Henry Jr. looks to be a shoe in to lineup opposite Jeremiah Smith. If that is indeed the case, which was likely the expectation when they shelled out the big bucks to land the star wideout even despite Brian Hartline’s departure, he will have every chance to be the best receiver in the conference not named Smith.
There will be some big time competition, namely guys like Oregon’s Dakorien Moore, Indiana’s Charlie Becker and Michigan’s Andrew Marsh, but if Henry Jr. is as good as he was lauded to be as a recruit and Ohio State’s offense continues to reward wide receiver play, we could be in for another breakout freshman pass-catcher in Columbus.
2) We have a quarterback controversy in Columbus
Ohio State enters 2026 with an established quarterback in Julian Sayin, but is his No. 1 spot on the depth chart absolutely safe?
The question is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it appears as though at minimum the Buckeyes’ quarterback room will be far deeper in terms of talent heading into this season than it had been in year’s prior.
Sayin looked fine in his limited action on Saturday. The second-year QB threw for 82 yards on 8-of-15 passing, completing a few nice throws while also throwing an interception that was tipped at the line and picked off by a defensive lineman. Of note, Sayin also scrambled for a touchdown on fourth down — an area of Sayin’s game Ohio State fans are hoping to see more of this year.
However, the star of the show at quarterback in the spring game was redshirt freshman Tavien St. Clair. The Ohio native and former five-star prospect was firing it all over the field for Team Scarlet, officially throwing for 166 yards and a touchdown.
St. Clair hit on a couple of big throws to Henry Jr., including an impressive shot down the field along the sideline in traffic as well as a long 40-yard touchdown. The young QB also showed a willingness to extend plays, moving around in the pocket and showing off his athleticism with the ball in his hands in addition to his accuracy and arm strength.
With Lincoln Kienholz now at Louisville, St. Clair is both the primary backup to Sayin and the heir apparent to take over the reins in 2027. However, should Sayin continue some of the struggles we saw in the latter half of last season, it wouldn’t be all to surprising in the Bellefontaine product finds his way onto the field a little earlier than expected…
3) Dominick Kelly will be CB1 for the Buckeyes this season
It was hard to gleam a lot — if anything — from Ohio State’s depth chart decisions on Saturday. With a handful of players sitting out while resting offseason procedures or a few nagging injuries, it can be tough to tell who is getting the start as a result of merit or purely out of necessity.
The offense especially was missing a good deal of starters, forcing guys like running back Ja’Kobi Jackson and offensive linemen Gabe VanSickle and Carter Lowe into starting roles that we aren’t expecting them to have heading into the 2026 season.
The defense, however, seems to be mostly healthy, and one guy I’m keeping my eye on after being featured in a starting role in the spring game is transfer corner Dominick Kelly.
A former four-star prospect in the 2025 class, Kelly spent last season at Georgia before transferring to Ohio State this past offseason. Despite having reclassified from the 2026 class to 2025, still managed to see the field in a rotational role, posting 61 snaps for the Bulldogs as a true freshman. The Florida native was targeted seven times, allowing only three catches while tallying three pass breakups, per PFF.
Kelly was a bit of a quieter acquisition for the Buckeyes in the portal, but he came to Columbus as the No. 11 CB in this transfer cycle. Having seemingly already locked down at worst the No. 3 corner spot behind Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez, Kelly could be knocking on the door of a rotational role if not a full-time starters spot as he has impressed throughout spring camp.
There are a lot of moving parts in this Ohio State secondary, but I have really high hopes for Kelly. The 6-foot-2 defensive back has some really nice traits, and the guys ahead of him have both had their fair share of struggles in the past. It would not be at all surprising to me if the Georgia transfers rises through the ranks and ultimately becomes the Buckeyes’ top cover corner in 2026.
