Ryan Day makes a bold statement on the Ohio State player who Buckeye Nation has been frustrated with this season
Ryan Day believes in his junior wideout and that he will get things fixed.
Going into the season, the Ohio State Buckeyes knew Jeremiah Smith would be their big target on offense just like he was last season. Returning Smith was huge for the Buckeyes, and he’s been a star once again through four games. Ohio State’s No. 2 wideout was always going to be Carnell Tate in 2025 before he likely leaps the NFL.
But the third wideout position was the question mark going into the year, with no proven player ready to fill that spot. Brandon Inniss has been that player for the Buckeyes this season, but he hasn’t had the numbers you’d think he would out of the slot. Inniss’ last game out against Washington, when he had three catches for 34 yards, was his most productive receiving game, but he made a crucial error on special teams that likely took points off the board for the Buckeyes when he fumbled in Washington territory.
Ryan Day isn’t giving up on a player who can be an X-Factor for the Buckeyes
“I think that Brandon needs to hold on to the ball,” Day said on Tuesday. “Whether it’s offense or special teams, we are going to get that fixed, and we believe in Brandon. If Brandon didn’t fumble that ball, I don’t think anybody would be asking if he was the right guy back there. So he needs to hang on to the ball, because he’s had two good returns here in the last two games. And that’s the bottom line.”
Inniss is averaging 16.5 yards per punt return in four games with four punt return attempts. That is a solid number, but ball security will always be a top priority. The fact that Day is going back to Inniss as the return man should be a good confidence boost for Inniss, and it shows that Day has confidence in the junior.
Coming to Ohio State as a five-star wideout, Inniss’ best season so far was last year, when he had 14 catches and a touchdown in 16 games played. The talented wideout from Florida should blow by these numbers this season, even if he isn’t off to quite as productive a start as you’d like to see.
Ohio State doesn’t want to go to their top players regularly like Smith and Caleb Downs for punt return, and that makes sense because they can’t afford to have them injured. Inniss is typically sure-handed catching the ball on a return; now, he just has to get back to holding onto it. Ohio State will be back in action Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Minnesota, and it’ll be the perfect chance for Inniss to get right.
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Probably not what Buckeye Nation wanted to hear not even five games into the season.
