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COLUMBUS - One of Ohio State’s freshmen was already sort of a legend before he got to Columbus. Another one arrived with Legend as a part of his name.
The freshmen on OSU’s roster have had varying degrees of success so far this season. Nickel corner Jay Timmons, who became a starter by the second game of the season, is the success story of the group.
Players like 5-star wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., probably the most well-known name nationally in the 2026 recruiting class, and receiver Brock Boyd have gotten significant playing time.
Others, like running back Legend Bey and defensive end Khary Wilder have flashed, to use one of Ryan Day’s favorite words, but haven’t shown the consistency to get on the field every week. Bey has not appeared in Ohio State’s last two games and Wilder did not get into the game at Iowa last Saturday.
Day offered some insight into what it takes to get onto the field for the Buckeyes at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
"We recruit guys to come in and play, That’s why they are here. We wouldn’t invest all the time and resources into each player if we didn’t want them to play," he said.
"It’s the coaches’ job to make sure they’re checking all the boxes and meeting all the requirements to make sure they’ve earned the opportunity to get on the field. It’s also the players’ responsibility to make sure they’ve checked all the boxes of the things they need to get onto the field. When you see that, we put them on the field.
"We have some really talented freshman. They need to make sure they’re doing their part to earn opportunities to get on the field. Once they’ve earned these opportunities they have to then do their job on the field and grade out."
Some other thoughts from Day:
SPECIAL TEAMS STILL NEED WORK
After some off season changes, Ohio State hoped it would see improvement in the performance of its special teams but the results so far this season have not been overly encouraging.
"I don’t think I can sit here and say we’ve improved on special teams right now. We need to play better. We need to make sure we’re getting better production out of special teams. When we look at the consistency of kicking field goals, it’s not good enough. Our return yards, we need to be better. We have to be better across the board. It’s a challenge to everybody in the program. We have to get better in all four phases of special teams (kicking, punting, kickoff returns, punt returns," Day said.
INJURY UPDATE
Offensive lineman Phillip Daniels is recovering from a leg injury he suffered against Texas more slowly than expected, Day said.
"I think we thought Phil would have been back a little bit sooner. Once he is available we’ll see how many snaps he can take, We’re anxious to get Phil back and how he is integrated into it will be based on his health," Day said.
RUNNING GAME EFFICIENT
“Our running game, when you look at the efficiency, is solid right now, but we want to be more explosive. We want to create bigger runs. I think they are there to be had," Day said. When you’re explosive in the run game that’s when your offense can really take off."
ON DEVIN SANCHEZ’S FREQUENT PENALTIES
"He’s competitive. I think he has to have a little more composure at the top of the route. I would say some of those (penalties) were close but when they make calls you have to own them and make the adjustment. His approach has been good but I think he would tell you he wants to play better, too. We need him to be that lock down corner we all know he can be."