Ryan Day Debrief: Ohio State freshmen flashing, running back long game

What we learned from the Buckeyes' head coach on Tuesday.

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day updated the Buckeyes’ spring progress on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy of OSU athletics)

COLUMBUS — Four things we learned from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day on Tuesday, following the Buckeyes’ sixth practice of the spring.

1. Freshman receiver Brock Boyd lost his black stripe after Tuesday’s practice, becoming the first member of the 2026 recruiting class to do so.

If there were betting markets for such things, you probably could’ve gotten great value on Boyd to be the first freshman to lose his black stripe, considering he was the 25th-ranked prospect (according to the 247Sports composite ratings) in a 29-man class. Recruiting rankings are an inexact science, but I thought Boyd’s place as the No. 100 overall receiver and No. 729 overall player in the class was wrong. Sure, you can sometimes be misled by high school production, and Boyd was a high-volume player at Southlake Carroll in Texas (260 receptions, 4,179 yards, 44 touchdowns). But at some point, the production becomes undeniable, which happened somewhere in the middle of Boyd’s junior season playing for one of the best programs in Texas.

The kid can play. Ohio State is seeing that early in his first spring.

“This is somebody who knows how to run a route,” Day said. “He’s serious about it. He can play multiple positions. And he’s productive … “He’s got quick twitch. He can change direction. He’s got strong hands. I’m excited to see where his career goes, but he’s off to a great start.”

Boyd’s father, Kris, is a receivers coach. His brother, Brady, was Utah State’s second-leading receiver last year. The position is a family thing, and Brock is more polished than a lot of other high school players, even if he doesn’t have the gaudy athletic profile of higher-ranked prospects. So his early buzz isn’t necessarily surprising. It is, however, incredibly interesting in a room that feels fairly wide open outside of Jeremiah Smith.

And it’ll help Boyd that he can, according to Day, play all three receiver positions.

“I didn’t have expectations other than he was gonna come in here and compete, but I had a feeling from watching him in high school that he would be able to step on the field early and make an impact,” Day said. “He can handle all three positions. Then you see his change of direction, and his route tree, the seriousness, the competitiveness — all the reasons we recruited him. You’re starting to see it right from the first week of practice on the field. We’ll see where it goes.”

Four players in total have lost their stripes so far. The other three are transfers: receiver Kyle Parker, defensive back Earl Little Jr., and linebacker Christian Alliegro.

2. Day gushed about another freshman on Tuesday, too.

Defensive back Jay Timmons hasn’t lost his black stripe yet, but it sounds like he’s well on his way.

“You can tell that he’s prepared when he steps on the field,” Day said. “He’s got a toughness to him, and edginess, which you’re looking for in a defensive back. And he’s productive. He made one play early on that was tremendous, a huge interception. If he keeps playing that, he’s gonna find himself on the field.”

Timmons projects as a nickel, which means he has an experienced player in front of him in Little who’s also making waves this spring. But we saw Ohio State find a way to get talented former five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez on the field as a freshman last year, even when it seemed like there wouldn’t be a role available. The staff will find something for Timmons if he keeps pushing.

Day said Tuesday’s practice was another strong one for Timmons.

3. No official injury report for spring, but Day shared that a few players have been missing some time lately. That includes freshman running back Legend Bey, who’s missed a few practices. Day said the hope is to get him back soon. Sophomore defensive end Zion Grady had a soft tissue injury that forced him to miss some time, but he’s returned to practice.

4. When running through position groups on the first day of spring practice, Day expressed some concern about the running back group. That wasn’t surprising with Bo Jackson and Isaiah West out for the spring. The hope was that their absences would create opportunities for less-established players to show themselves.

Day didn’t exactly give the group a ringing endorsement on Tuesday.

“They’re working,” he said. “Looking to get better. I don’t think that’s going to get solved in just a week of practice. We’ve got work to do there. They gotta keep getting better.”

Bey’s recent absence no doubt lends to the feeling that the position as a whole is not exactly popping right now. Day said that redshirt freshman Turbo Rogers is in better shape than he was last year, and is starting to show some progress. Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson has had moments.

“Ja’Kobi has very good instincts and vision,” Day said. “He’s learning the offense, but he’s shown the ability to hit the hole the right way. He’s working on playing with more power and behind his pads.”

This is going to be a long game.

But if there was any notion that someone might be able to make a move on Jackson and/or West while that pair was sidelined, it doesn’t seem like that’s happening.