Ohio State HC Ryan Day got real about Legend Bey before the Buckeyes opener, and it tells you everything you need to know
Legend Bey is clearly going to be important for Ohio State in 2026, as Ryan Day’s comments all but solidifies his status.
The Ohio State Buckeyes scratched and clawed to get freshman Legend Bey to Columbus, and now the former Tennessee flip is set to make an immediate impact. Head coach Ryan Day revealed that Bey will take the opening kickoff for Ohio State on Saturday against Ball State, a significant show of trust for the Texas high school product who missed time this spring and was suspended for the first couple of fall camp practices.
Bey’s path to Ohio State was anything but smooth. The Buckeyes flipped his commitment from Tennessee last winter, then went through it all again after he signed with the Volunteers. Bey eventually got out of his signing and became a Buckeye shortly after. He missed time in the spring due to a small injury, but when he was on the field, he showed why Ohio State wanted him so badly.
Ryan Day addresses Bey’s early adversity and growth
The early suspension at fall camp created adversity for Bey, but Day’s comments made clear the freshman has responded well. From there, the high school quarterback turned college running back has earned the trust of the coaching staff.
“You know there was an event that happened, and you know he certainly controlled at that point the response, and the response since then has been much better,” Day stated. He’s worked really hard in practice. There are some habits that he needs to improve on, just because he was a quarterback before, and there’s a lot of things that come with playing running back that are a lot different than certainly being a quarterback. So he’s had to learn those things, and he’s worked and he’s had a good attitude when he’s been out there. It’s not all been perfect, but I also think that we see the explosiveness when the ball’s in his hands, and he knows the first thing that he has to do when he’s in the game is take care of the football.
“But so how do you do that? You have to earn, you have to build trust through time, and he’s built enough trust that we feel comfortable with him being back there. But he’s going to have to go. I always say when the ball’s in your hands, you literally have the hopes and dreams of the entire Buckeye Nation in your hands, right? Like that’s true. I heard a coach told me that one time, and they’re exactly right. So it’s a big responsibility. And between Coach Lock, Coach Smith, myself, I feel like we really hammered that home with Legend, and he’s embraced that, and he knows how serious it is.”
Legend Bey is going to have a Year 1 role in Columbus
As long as Bey takes care of the football, it sounds like Ohio State is going to trust him on the field. That could be a big boost to a Buckeyes running back room expected to be headlined by Bo Jackson and Isaiah West at running back. Bey is going to be another playmaker from that position group, and he could be utilized as a wide receiver at times as well.
The former quarterback brings strong athleticism and a Tyreek Hill-like build that the coaching staff in Columbus is excited about. His debut against Ball State on Saturday is one a lot of fans are looking forward to, and for good reason. Ohio State fought hard to land Bey, and Saturday will be the first real chance to see whether that effort pays off on the field.
