The Ohio State wide receiver room is led by the best player in college football, but who will be WR2 behind Jeremiah Smith in 2026 is one of the biggest question marks for the Buckeyes ahead of the season.
Smith has amassed 163 catches for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns while also running for 68 yards and two scores on nine carries in 29 games during his first two years at Ohio State. He has led the Big Ten in receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. A national champion and unanimous All-American, the only two awards he has yet to add to his long list of accomplishments already as a Buckeye are the Biletnikoff Award – given to the most outstanding receiver in American college football – and a Heisman Trophy.
However, there are plenty of questions regarding the talent behind him amongst Ohio State’s wide receivers – perhaps not as many as people have about how Smith hasn’t won the Biletnikoff yet, but still a lot.
Cortez Hankton not only had to replace the best recruiter in the country, but he’s also tasked with having answers for all the questions. The Buckeyes have plenty of talent and depth at wideout, but they don’t have a clear-cut WR2 – or even WR3 – heading into the season.
While Hartline didn’t bring in a single wide receiver transfer during his time leading the group, Hankton brought in two this offseason, both of whom have plenty of talent. But again, they’ve never had a big role in a program like Ohio State.
Ohio State has plenty of potential candidates who could step up to emerge as the Buckeyes’ next standout playmakers around Smith, but all of them have something to prove entering the 2026 season.
| PLAYER | YEAR | CAREER RECEIVING STATS |
|---|---|---|
| JEREMIAH SMITH | 3RD | 163 CATCHES, 2,558 YARDS, 27 TDs (29 GAMES) |
| DEVIN MCCUIN | 4TH | 152 CATCHES, 1,696 YARDS, 16 TDs (32 GAMES) |
| BRANDON INNISS | 4TH | 51 CATCHES, 505 YARDS, 5 TDs (38 GAMES) |
| KYLE PARKER | 4TH | 34 CATCHES, 385 YARDS, 5 TDs (21 GAMES) |
| DAVID ADOLPH | 5TH | 4 CATCHES, 41 YARDS (40 GAMES) |
| PHILLIP BELL | 2ND | – |
| DE’ZIE JONES | 2ND | – |
| CHRIS HENRY JR. | 1ST | – |
| JERQUADEN GUILFORD | 1ST | – |
| BROCK BOYD | 1ST | – |
| JAEDEN RICKETTS | 1ST |
Devin McCuin
The UTSA transfer has totaled 152 catches for 1,696 yards and 16 touchdowns in 32 games with the Roadrunners. But in three games against Power Four opponents, the 6-foot, 189-pounder has notched just 15 receptions for 95 yards. McCuin, along with LSU transfer Kyle Parker, took the most first-team reps at wide receiver alongside Smith and Brandon Inniss this spring, so it’s clear that the two transfers are expected to make a big-time immediate impact.
Will McCuin be able to become a reliable, consistent contributor for Ohio State against Power Four competition?
Brandon Inniss
The former five-star in the 2023 class is clearly one of the team’s most vocal leaders heading into his fourth year at OSU, but Inniss has totaled just 51 catches for 505 yards and five touchdowns in his first three seasons at Ohio State. That said, it’s the second-most receptions and yards among returning Buckeyes.
Will he finally be able to break out in his fourth season in Columbus?
Kyle Parker
In three seasons at LSU, Parker had 34 catches for 385 yards and five touchdowns in 21 games, including 31 receptions for 330 yards and four touchdowns in 2025 (13 games).
A former track star in high school, the 5-10, 195-pounder could use his quickness and speed as a great match next to Smith, but he hasn’t proven to be a big-time contributor at the college level quite yet.
Will Parker’s fourth season – and first at Ohio State – be the perfect recipe to have his first standout season?
David Adolph
A former walk-on, Adolph proved last season that he can play significant snaps when needed, but the wide receiver has totaled only four catches for 41 yards in 40 games as a Buckeye. He’s an upperclassman that can be counted on as a blocker and special teams contributor, but OSU can’t expect Adolph to contribute much on the stat sheet.
Phillip Bell and De’Zie Jones
Both entering their second seasons at OSU, Bell only played 21 snaps in 2025, while Jones didn’t play at all. Neither of the two caught a pass.
While a year in Ohio State’s system is certainly a plus, it would be tough to expect either Bell or Jones to be WR2 for Ohio State in 2026.
Chris Henry Jr.
Henry has star potential, as the former five-star prospect has all the makings of a future WR1 at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds with his skill set.
That said, he’s going into his freshman season at Ohio State, so while the potential is clearly there, will he immediately be able to step up and be the Buckeyes’ second-best wide receiver alongside Smith? Having his skill set and size next to Smith could be a lethal (and even unstoppable) combination, but again, it’s tough to project what a player can do in his first collegiate season.
Jerquaden Guilford
The No. 6-ranked wide receiver in the 2026 class, Guilford would have been the top-ranked player at his position in almost any other team’s recruiting class – except at a wide receiver factory like Ohio State.
Like Henry, it’s clear that the 6-3, 185-pounder has plenty of talent. But again, how will it translate to Ohio State, especially as a freshman?
Brock Boyd
The most talked-about OSU wide receiver throughout the spring, Boyd quickly made a name for himself in Columbus in a very short time.
He became the third-quickest freshman ever to lose his black stripe – a tradition that was started by Urban Meyer in 2012 – behind only Smith and Carnell Tate. Although he was only a three-star prospect following an outstanding career playing against big-time high school competition at Southlake Carroll in Texas, Boyd was clearly underrated, as he has already proven.
He has the makings of being a future star at Ohio State, but can Boyd step up already and become a legitimate option for the Buckeyes’ offense in year one?
Jaeden Ricketts
The freshman possesses some tools to become a contributor at Ohio State, including outstanding speed, but Ricketts will need to develop for a year or two before playing major snaps for the Buckeyes.
Hartline didn’t rotate wide receivers much, especially in his latter years at Ohio State, but Hankton has shown during his time as a wide receivers coach at Vanderbilt (2015-17), Georgia (2018-21) and LSU (2022-25) that he’s not afraid to do so.
LSU had six wide receivers who played more than 200 snaps in Hankton’s final season with the Tigers in 2025, according to PFF.
Ohio State might not have a second receiver on this roster who’s as elite this season as Tate, the No. 4 pick in the 2026 NFL draft. But this spring showed that OSU’s 2026 wide receiver unit could be its deepest receiving corps in several years.
Will the Buckeyes have a clear-cut WR2 alongside Smith, one that will be tough to take off the field, or will Hankton again play a handful of wideouts to try to make up for not having a clear-cut WR2?
The good news is that Ohio State has always answered the call at wide receiver, even in some seasons when a group lacked depth, including 2025.
The Buckeyes are WRU for a reason. Ohio State has landed a five-star wide receiver in six straight recruiting classes and nine of 10 classes overall dating back to 2019. If (when?) Austin Miller is a five-star wideout once the 2029 rankings are revealed, it will be seven straight and 10 of 11.
Dating back to Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in 2019, the Buckeyes have had at least two future first-round picks playing major roles in their receiving corps each of the last seven seasons. OSU has had at least one first- or second-round wide receiver on its roster in every season since 2011, and at least one first-round wideout on its roster dating back to 2018.
The biggest question is: Who will be that second star at wide receiver alongside Smith in 2026? There’s no clear answer to that question entering preseason camp.
