The Ohio State Buckeyes take the podium at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday with head coach Ryan Day, quarterback Julian Sayin, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and safety Jaylen McClain representing the program. With media days here, the 2026 college football season is right around the corner for Ohio State, a team trying to shake off two losses to end the 2025 campaign after starting 12-0.

The Buckeyes have a much different roster this year between transfer portal additions and a talented freshman class. Wide receiver Chris Henry Jr. was the most talked-about incoming player heading into spring practices, but he wasn’t necessarily the freshman drawing the most buzz once practices got rolling.

Brock Boyd continues to create buzz 

Former three-star recruit Brock Boyd out of Southlake Carroll, Texas, made a bigger impact this spring than anyone could have predicted. Boyd was the 731st-ranked player in the class of 2026 according to the 247Sports Composite, but Ohio State pushed hard for him and got him to flip from TCU. The 6-foot-1, 184-pound wideout consistently got open during spring practices, and his name drew all kinds of attention in Columbus. There wasn’t a freshman talked about more than Boyd this spring, despite the hype surrounding Henry.

Sayin was asked about the freshman wide receiver on the Bill and Doug Show on Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days, and he gave his assessment of what he’s seen from the newcomer.

“I think he’s always in the right spot. He knows what he’s doing, has got great feet, and somebody who just separates,” Sayin said.

All of those traits can help the Buckeyes as soon as 2026 in a wide receiver room that doesn’t have a ton of proven talent past Smith. Boyd is going to have an uphill climb for playing time with players like Brandon Inniss, LSU transfer Kyle Parker, UTSA transfer Devin McCuin, and potentially Henry all above him on the depth chart.

Boyd’s ranking looks like a miss by scouting services

Still, if Boyd proves he can play and help the Buckeyes be a better team on offense, he’s going to be out there. As Sayin said, a player who is always in the right spot is a benefit to the offense. The 6-foot-1 wide receiver totally looks like a player who was maybe misscouted by the scouting services and mislabeled in terms of his ranking.

There’s been a lot of chatter around Boyd so far in Columbus, and Wednesday at Big Ten Media Days only added to it. The coming weeks of fall camp will be telling for where Boyd lands on the depth chart heading into the season.