The Ohio State Buckeyes are a few days into fall camp practices, and it marked the first real look at the 2026 team. Fans in attendance got their only preview of Ohio State ahead of its college football season opener in September against Ball State, followed by a massive Week 2 trip to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns.

 With fall camp underway, a few names are making their presence known in Columbus. From a transfer wide receiver running with the ones to a running back who may have had the best offseason on the roster, here are three Buckeyes who are rising early in camp.

WR Devin McCuin is the biggest riser of fall camp

Perhaps the biggest riser of them all is wide receiver Devin McCuin, a transfer addition from UTSA. The 6-foot, 189-pound wideout recorded 726 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 2025 and was a quick addition for the Buckeyes through the portal.

McCuin has been making plays and running with the ones for Ohio State early in fall camp. He looks like he’s going to be that No. 2 receiver alongside Jeremiah Smith and a key piece of the offense. Ohio State wanted to get a lot more explosive this season, and McCuin has the ability to do just that with his run-after-the-catch skills and ability to score long touchdowns.

RB Isaiah West has catapulted into the 1A conversation

The second name to watch is running back Isaiah West. Coach Ryan Day pointed out that West may have had the best offseason of anyone on the team, and through the first few practices, West took the majority of first-team reps. That came as a surprise with 1,000-yard rusher Bo Jackson returning for his second year.

Everywhere you looked these past two days – Devin McCuin and Isiah West were making plays.

Isiah West made some great moves in team drill and McCuin made quite a few big catches Friday.

Two players that could be the key to this Buckeye offense: pic.twitter.com/ZJwNAoQsfc

— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) August 7, 2026

West has noticeably put in work in the weight room this offseason. After ending last season as what looked like Ohio State’s second-best running back, his offseason effort has catapulted him into the conversation for a 1A/1B setup with Jackson. West is clearly going to be a key part of Ohio State’s offense, one that wants to run the ball at a high level with Arthur Smith calling plays in 2026.

Freshman Jay Timmons looks ready to start in the slot

The third riser is freshman Jay Timmons, who is clearly going to play a key role for the Buckeyes in Matt Patricia’s defense. Ohio State is replacing a lot of starters on that side of the ball, and Timmons appears ready to step into the slot as soon as Week 1 against Ball State. He’s been repping with the ones early in fall camp and looks the part as a true freshman.

It’s easy to see why Ohio State pushed to flip Timmons from Florida State late in the 2026 recruiting class. He wasn’t a name talked about much during spring practices, but as the summer went on and fall camp arrived, Timmons became a clear riser. He looks like he’s going to see significant playing time in 2026 and could be a starter for the defense when the season kicks off next month.