Ohio State has added a 28th member to its 2026 signing class.
Four-star running back/wide receiver Legend Bey, who was committed to Ohio State before signing with Tennessee earlier this month, officially signed with the Buckeyes on Monday after requesting and receiving his release from his scholarship agreement with Tennessee last week.
A Legend in the making Welcome to the Brotherhood, @LegendBey7
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 22, 2025
#THE26 pic.twitter.com/eA9aYQiM1g
While Bey signed with Tennessee on Dec. 3, it quickly became apparent that Bey didn’t actually want to be a Volunteer. According to multiple reports, Bey was coerced into signing with Tennessee by family members. Bey’s mother refused to sign off on Bey signing with the Buckeyes, and Rivals’ Keegan Pope reported that “sources close to the situation have cast doubt about whether it was Bey or someone else who signed the paperwork that was ultimately sent to Tennessee.”
In a quickly deleted tweet one day after his signing with Tennessee, Bey indicated that his mother and older brother would not allow him to sign with the school he wanted to.
It became even more apparent two weeks ago that Bey still wanted to be a Buckeye when he posted pictures of himself wearing Ohio State apparel on his Instagram account, captioning his post “Imma do my own thing.”
While Bey couldn’t sign with Ohio State without a parent’s approval during the early signing period due to being only 17, he’s set to turn 18 on Wednesday.
Bey adds an explosive and versatile offensive weapon to Ohio State’s 2026 freshman class. Listed as an athlete by recruiting services, Bey played quarterback at North Forney (Texas) High School but is expected to play running back at Ohio State, with the versatility to also play wide receiver.
Bey, who’s been clocked at 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 10.23 seconds in the 100-meter dash, is ranked as the No. 175 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite for the 2026 class.
Bey joins a class that includes one running back (four-star prospect Favour Akih) and four wide receivers (five-star Chris Henry Jr., four-stars Jerquaden Guilford and Jaeden Ricketts and three-star Brock Boyd) among 27 other signees.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | CHRIS HENRY JR. | ★★★★★ | #10 NATL | #1 WR | 6-5 | 205 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) |
| DE | KHARY WILDER | ★★★★ | #42 NATL | #2 DL | 6-4 | 260 | Junipero Serra (Gardena, California) |
| LB | CINCERE JOHNSON | ★★★★ | #50 NATL | #3 LB | 6-3 | 222 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| OT | SAM GREER | ★★★★ | #51 NATL | #6 OT | 6-8 | 315 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
| CB | JAY TIMMONS | ★★★★ | #64 NATL | #7 CB | 5-11 | 185 | Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pennsylvania) |
| S | BLAINE BRADFORD | ★★★★ | #71 NATL | #7 S | 6-1 | 207 | Catholic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) |
| CB | JORDAN THOMAS | ★★★★ | #123 NATL | #15 CB | 6-1 | 185 | Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey) |
| WR | JERQUADEN GUILFORD | ★★★★ | #137 NATL | #22 WR | 6-3 | 190 | Northrop (Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
| OL | MAXWELL RILEY | ★★★★ | #171 NATL | #7 IOL | 6-5 | 280 | Avon Lake (Avon Lake, Ohio) |
| ATH | LEGEND BEY | ★★★★ | #175 NATL | #9 ATH | 5-11 | 175 | North Forney (Forney, Texas) |
| S | SIMEON CALDWELL | ★★★★ | #186 NATL | #10 LB | 6-3 | 185 | The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| DT | DAMARI SIMEON | ★★★★ | #194 NATL | #22 DL | 6-3 | 275 | St. Augustine Prep (Richland, New Jersey) |
| RB | FAVOUR AKIH | ★★★★ | #244 NATL | #17 RB | 6-0 | 190 | Rutherford B Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) |
| DT | EMANUEL RUFFIN | ★★★★ | #247 NATL | #29 DL | 6-4 | 295 | Bessemer City (Bessemer, Alabama) |
| LB | CJ SANNA | ★★★★ | #252 NATL| #15 LB | 6-3 | 225 | Olentangy (Lewis Center, Ohio) |
| LB | BRAXTON REMBERT | ★★★★ | #358 NATL | #22 LB | 6-5 | 200 | Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia) |
| DE | DRE QUINN | ★★★★ | #365 NATL | #36 EDGE | 6-4 | 228 | Buford (Buford, Georgia) |
| S | KHMARI BING | ★★★★ | #395 NATL | #35 CB | 6-0 | 190 | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) |
| WR | JAEDEN RICKETTS | ★★★★ | #424 NATL | #62 WR | 6-0 | 187 | Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio) |
| TE | NICK LAUTAR | ★★★ | #543 NATL | #29 TE | 6-5 | 230 | Lebanon (Lebanon, Ohio) |
| S | KADEN GEBHARDT | ★★★ | #547 NATL | #44 S | 6-2 | 200 | Olentangy (Lewis Center, Ohio) |
| OL | TUCKER SMITH | ★★★ | #574 NATL | #45 IOL | 6-5 | 280 | Sandra Day O'Connor (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| DL | DARRYUS MCKINLEY | ★★★ | #602 NATL | #72 DL | 6-3 | 270 | Acadiana (Lafayette, Louisiana) |
| WR | BROCK BOYD | ★★★ | #602 NATL | #84 WR | 6-1 | 180 | Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) |
| QB | LUKE FAHEY | ★★★ | #631 NATL | #37 QB | 6-0 | 185 | Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, California) |
| DT | JAMIR PEREZ | ★★★ | #772 NATL | #86 DL | 6-4 | 360 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| OT | LANDRY BREDE | ★★★ | #864 NATL | #77 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) |
| OL | MASON WILHELM | ★★★ | #1007 NATL | #81 IOL | 6-4 | 285 | St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports Composite | |||||
Bey is expected to be the final addition to Ohio State’s 2026 high school recruiting class, which is now ranked as the fifth-best class in the country behind only USC, Alabama, Oregon and Notre Dame. It’s Ohio State’s seventh straight top-five national recruiting class, the second-longest streak in the country behind only Alabama’s streak of 19 years.
Bey originally committed to Tennessee in June, but flipped his commitment to Ohio State in November after making an official visit for the Buckeyes’ win over Penn State. During his signing event at North Forney High School on Dec. 3, Bey indicated that he planned to sign with Ohio State before signing with Tennessee later that day.
Now, Bey will be a Buckeye after all.
