{"id":86711,"date":"2026-04-13T15:47:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T19:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/?p=86711"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:33:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T22:33:27","slug":"storylines-to-watch-on-offense-at-ohio-states-2026-spring-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2026\/04\/13\/storylines-to-watch-on-offense-at-ohio-states-2026-spring-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Storylines to Watch on Offense at Ohio State’s 2026 Spring Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s officially game week in Columbus! Well, Spring Game week, that is. The Ohio State Spring Game has been a spectacle for a decade and a half, even with last year’s disappointing numbers<\/a>. All-time, Ohio State leads the way with a record of over 80,000 at 2024’s glorified scrimmage. Last year, the Buckeyes initially announced that the Spring Game was going to be more of a “Spring Showcase.” When the interest took a nosedive, Ohio State backpedaled and had a traditional Spring Game.<\/p>\n

This year, Ryan Day said that the first few series will be “thud” intensity, with actual tackling thereafter (minus the quarterbacks, obviously). With last year ending the way that it did, plus the roster turnover via the draft and portal, Ohio State fans are champing at the bit for a taste of more football. While there is no quarterback competition, there are plenty of storylines to watch.<\/p>\n

Other than, “Will Jeremiah Smith<\/a> play more than one series?” of course.<\/p>\n

Storylines to Watch on Offense at Ohio State’s 2026 Spring Game<\/h2>\n

Two Scholarship Backs<\/h3>\n

Heading into spring practice, the top two running backs, Bo Jackson<\/a> and Isaiah West<\/a>, were limited and altogether unavailable when it came to scrimmages and hitting. He knew this and highlighted who may step up in their absence. Two of those names were Legend Bey, the true freshman taking everyone by storm, and Anthony “Turbo” Rogers. Both Bey and Rogers had strong practices, but unfortunately, both players are doubtful for the Spring Game. It would have been interesting to see Bey suit up because, evidently, he was reassigned to jersey number 44 and has to re-earn his number two jersey.<\/p>\n

That leaves seventh-year Florida transfer, Ja’Kobi Jackson<\/a>, and true freshman Favour Akih. Walk-on Stanley Jackson Jr. will also earn plenty of snaps as the scrimmage wears on.<\/p>\n

With just two scholarship running backs<\/a> to suit up, each player will get a chance to show what they can do, but Day and new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will likely lean on the quarterbacks and receivers on offense. Either Jackson or Akih could carry the offense if needed, but since it’s a scrimmage, it is a great opportunity to see what everyone else can do.<\/p>\n

Protect 10<\/h3>\n

Last year, the scarlet (offense) beat the gray (defense), 50-31. While offense scored normally, the defense could rack up points by scoring touchdowns (six points), takeaways (three points), three-and-outs (three points), sacks (two points), and punts (one point). While it was concerning that the defense put up 31 points, the offensive line looked good, causing Ohio State to go out and reevaluate its options on the defensive line.<\/p>\n

This year, the goal is the same. While Julian Sayin<\/a> will be in a black jersey to signify “no touching,” the defensive line is going to try to get after him. The offensive line has been a point of contention for online Buckeye fans, but it looks like the unit is mostly set. Last year’s starting tackles, Austin Siereveld<\/a> and Phillip Daniels<\/a>, were knocked out of spring participation due to injury, so Ian Moore<\/a> (redshirt sophomore) and Carter Lowe<\/a> (redshirt freshman), respectively, have stepped up.<\/p>\n

With Moore and Lowe bookending Luke Montgomery<\/a>, Carson Hinzman<\/a>, and Gabe VanSickle<\/a>, the offensive line looks solid. While a strong performance at the Spring Game won’t write anything in stone, it’ll go a long way in establishing a pecking order.<\/p>\n

There will be plenty of opportunities for the depth to make an impact as well, to make Day’s job that much harder in deciding the “best five.”<\/a><\/p>\n

Wide Receiver Rotation<\/h3>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

According to Day’s press conference the Monday before the game, the Buckeyes are going to feature more rotation at wide receiver than they had in the past. The question will be, to what extent?<\/p>\n

Smith leads the receiver room<\/a>, unsurprisingly. If he plays a single snap, it’ll be a snap too many because he has nothing to prove. Behind him, it gets fun.<\/p>\n

Of the returning receivers, Brandon Inniss<\/a> is the leader. The veteran slot receiver is coming into 2026 off a season in which he amassed 271 yards and three touchdowns as the fourth option on the offense. He has the inside track to retaining his job, but there is more talent challenging him than there was last year. Or, rather, more talent that is ready to play and won’t be passed over in favor of walk-ons.<\/p>\n

This is going to be a great opportunity for Kyle Parker<\/a>, Devin McCuin<\/a>, Chris Henry Jr., Jerquaden Guilford, Brock Boyd, Phillip Bell, De’Zie Jones, and Jaeden Ricketts.<\/p>\n

Parker, McCuin, and Henry are expected to be the leaders of the rotation. The former two are transfers with serious talent, while Henry is the latest in a long line of five-star freshmen. Of course, the rest of the room is talented. Guilford could have a Mylan Graham-like impact in this game, throwing the fanbase in a tizzy. Boyd was the first, and still the only, freshman to lose his black stripe<\/a>. But don’t count out Bell, Jones, and Ricketts.<\/p>\n

Time to Overreact<\/h3>\n

The best thing about the Spring game is that it gives everyone something to overreact to for months. Graham looked like he was the next star after last year’s game, but ended with 93 yards on six catches while playing 161 offensive snaps. He is now part of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The same could have been said about Evan Pryor. In 2022, Pryor carried the ball just nine times, but looked good, going for 62 yards and a touchdown. He suffered a season-ending injury in August of 2022, then transferred to Cincinnati before the 2024 season.<\/p>\n

The Spring Game is just a scrimmage. It’s a fun scrimmage, and can give fans and coaches a glimpse of what could be to come. Don’t be surprised if a small handful of established veterans and stars are on a pitch count. Of course, that means younger guys will get a great chance to show out.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line on the Ohio State Spring Game<\/h3>\n

Where<\/strong>: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
\nLast Matchup<\/strong>: Scarlet (offense) won, 50-31 in 2025
\nDate and Time<\/strong>: April 18, 12:00 PM ET
\nHow to Watch<\/strong>: Big Ten Network<\/p>\n

Main Image: Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 2026 Ohio State Spring Game is coming up this weekend. With plenty of returning pieces, what should you watch for from the offense?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":86718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2,35609],"tags":[35921,35898,34876,33659,7831,35012,35897,35802,35803,34523,33213,34077,3348,35505,35908],"class_list":["post-86711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bigten","category-featured","category-ohio-state-buckeyes","tag-arthur-smith","tag-brock-boyd","tag-chris-henry-jr","tag-dezie-jones","tag-evan-pryor","tag-favour-akih","tag-jaeden-ricketts","tag-jerquaden-guilford","tag-legend-bey","tag-max-klare","tag-mylan-graham","tag-phillip-bell","tag-ryan-day","tag-turbo-rogers","tag-will-kacmarek"],"modified_by":"Tony Siracusa, CFB Managing Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4051"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86719,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86711\/revisions\/86719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}