1. Devin McCuin, WR
No transfer on Ohio State’s roster has been more impossible to miss through the first week of camp than Devin McCuin.
Beat reporters covering the Buckeyes’ second practice of camp came away raving about him, describing a receiver who looked every bit like a starter and made play after play without much competition for attention. That’s a remarkable rise for a player who arrived in Columbus without the five-star pedigree of some of his new receiver room teammates.
McCuin spent three seasons at UTSA,
where he quietly built one of the more productive resumes in the Group of Five, catching 152 passes for 1,696 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s now positioning himself as Ohio State’s number three or even potentially number two receiver, ahead of five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. and veteran leader Brandon Innis.
An unexpected outcome for a fourth-year transfer competing against one of the most decorated freshman WR classes Ohio State has ever brought in. In an offense that lost significant target volume behind Smith when Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham left for Notre Dame, McCuin looks exactly like the veteran, savvy answer Ryan Day needed.
2. Jay Timmons, CB/Nickel
Ohio State fans should already know this name, and if they don’t, they will soon.
Timmons arrived in Columbus as the nation’s number one ranked cornerback according to Rivals, capping off a wild recruitment that saw him committed to Indiana, then flip to Florida State, where his father, longtime Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons, once starred. Before ultimately landing at Ohio State as a five-star signee.
What’s happened since camp opened has been nothing short of stunning. Timmons has looked good enough at nickel that Ohio State may end up shifting Florida State transfer Earl Little Jr. back to a true safety role full-time, potentially pushing Duke transfer Terry Moore out of the starting lineup entirely.
Little himself, who crossed paths with Timmons on recruiting visits when Timmons was still committed to the Seminoles, has spoken glowingly about how quickly the freshman has made an impact, both physically and mentally, for someone so new to the program.
Timmons has already shed his black stripe, the customary rite of passage marking a true contributor for the Buckeyes. And Devin Sanchez, Ohio State’s top returning cornerback, has publicly signaled the staff will need him ready for the Week 2 road trip to Texas.
At 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds, Timmons profiles as the ideal modern slot defender, and given how thin Ohio State is at proven cornerback depth after Davison Igbinosun and Lorenzo Styles Jr. left for the draft.
A five-star true freshman potentially reshuffling the entire back end rotation before he’s played a single college snap is about as big a camp riser as it gets.
3. Eddrick Houston, DT
Houston isn’t a new name, but what he’s shown through the first week of camp has elevated him from promising rotational piece to unquestioned building block on the interior defensive line.
Multiple Ohio State beat reporters have flagged Houston and Will Smith Jr. as two of the biggest winners of camp so far, with both showing the kind of dominance up front that’s hard to overlook.
But it’s Houston in particular who looks like he’s cemented himself as the 1A of the group, and the real wrecker in the middle that this defensive line needed. That’s a significant statement given the level of investment Ohio State made at the position this offseason, importing Alabama’s James Smith and UCF’s John Walker specifically to compete for those jobs.
For context on who Houston is, he was Ohio State’s top rated defensive recruit in the 2024 class, and he flashed real disruptive ability in a part-time role a year ago. Posting 21 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks, including a strong showing in the Cotton Bowl loss to Miami.
With Kayden McDonald gone to the draft, Ohio State needed someone from the interior to step into a bigger role immediately, and through one week, Houston looks like the answer. Not just holding his own against proven transfers, but outplaying them for a starting job.
4. Isaiah West, RB
The biggest surprise of the running back room is not a transfer or a freshman. It is a sophomore who was expected to be a complementary piece behind Bo Jackson. Instead, Isaiah West has been working with the first-team offense to open fall camp, and the reports out of Columbus have been glowing.
Camp observers have pointed to his added muscle, up to a chiseled 222 pounds after playing closer to 210 a season ago, and a visibly faster, more explosive first step even in non-tackling drills. Day himself has praised West’s offseason transformation, noting he’s the healthiest he’s been since tearing his ACL in high school.
That durability matters because injuries have made West’s college career a stop and start journey up to this point.
Now, with Bo Jackson also working back from offseason shoulder surgery, the door has cracked open, and West has completely kicked it in. This isn’t to say Jackson, who ran for 1,090 yards and averaged over seven yards per carry a year ago has lost his job.
What looked like a settled backfield hierarchy in July is now a legitimate two-man competition in August, and that’s entirely because of what West has shown in this first week.
5. Kenyatta Jackson Jr., DE
If the first four names on this list are about players climbing the depth chart, Jackson’s rise has been about a proven veteran raising the ceiling on what an entire defense can be.
As the only returning starter up front for a defensive line replacing Kayden McDonald, and Caden Curry while working alongside three brand-new tackles. Jackson has taken on the job of setting the tone, and by every account, he’s done exactly that.
He’s the clear anchor of the pass rush after finishing a year ago second on the team in sacks and tackles for loss. And this camp he’s embraced the responsibility of carrying forward what Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Caleb Downs and all of last seasons defense built.
Positioning himself as the connective tissue between last year’s championship level unit and this year’s rebuild.
For a defense that lost eight starters and three first-round picks, having a proven, vocal leader elevate his game and his voice at the same time is exactly the kind of camp development that doesn’t show up in a single practice report, but shapes how the entire season goes.
The big picture
What ties these five risers together is more interesting than any individual storyline itself. Ohio State’s biggest camp surprises are coming from almost every corner of the roster. A fourth-year transfer, a true freshman five-star, a returning role player, a former four-star finally healthy, and a veteran leader raising his game.
That’s exactly what a program replacing 10 starters needs to see in August. None of these players have locked anything down permanently. Real competition still lies ahead, with padded practices, scrimmages, and eventually live snaps against Ball State and Texas separating hot starts from real breakthroughs.
But if the first week is any indication, Ohio State’s margin for error on a rebuilt roster is bigger than the raw number of departed starters might suggest.
The next man up isn’t just capable. In several cases, he may be much better than expected.
