When Ohio State needed a leader to step up on its offense during preseason camp, Brandon Inniss heeded the call.
The third-year wide receiver hasn’t played a massive role in his first two seasons as a Buckeye, catching just 15 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. But that didn’t stop Inniss from speaking up – or his teammates from listening – when he felt Ohio State’s offense needed a spark in practice.
“When things got a little dicey in camp, he was the guy that spoke up. He was the guy that challenged everybody. And because of the work he put in and how much he cares about his teammates, his teammates sat up and listened and responded,” Ryan Day said last week. “It's one thing to say something, it's another thing to watch them respond. He did that multiple times during camp, brought the whole offense together and got them fired up and got them moving. That took a big step, and that probably had an impact on him being voted captain.”
While Ohio State’s offense remains loaded with talented playmakers like Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Max Klare, one of the biggest questions surrounding the offense entering this offseason was who would step up as leaders. With TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka, Will Howard, Gee Scott Jr., Donovan Jackson, Seth McLaughlin and Josh Fryar now in the NFL, Ohio State lost its top vocal leaders on offense from last season.
Smith and Tate are established stars, but neither of them has a naturally vocal personality (though Tate has drawn praise this offseason for how he’s stepped up in that regard, while Smith leads by example through his work ethic that earned him two-time Iron Buckeye honors this offseason). But Inniss, who will start alongside them this season as Ohio State’s slot receiver, has always been talkative, which he attributes to his time playing quarterback during his junior and senior years of high school.
“I wasn't very vocal when I was younger. I definitely grew into it,” Inniss said Wednesday. “I would say at American Heritage, I grew into that a lot more. My junior and senior year when I played quarterback actually, that helped me because they all looked to me like, ‘We need you.’ So I feel like ever since then, I became a vocal leader.”
Now, Inniss has emerged as a top leader – alongside fellow captain and starting left tackle Austin Siereveld – on Ohio State’s offense. And that’s a role he’s becoming more and more comfortable with every day.
“I feel like at the times I had to bring the offense up, we were kind of dead. It wasn't getting a lot of things going. And once I brought them up and got in their face, it was ‘All right, let's go now,’ and everything started to change,” Inniss said. “And I feel like ever since that moment, there was times in camp that I had to keep doing that, and that's what I did.”
While Inniss’ voice as a leader might carry more weight now that he’s a starter and a captain, the five-star prospect from the 2023 recruiting class has been one of the Buckeyes’ top energy sources since he arrived on campus as a freshman. When Day was asked last week about Inniss’ selection as a captain, one of the first things Day mentioned was the way he has supported his teammates even when he wasn’t in the game over the past two seasons.
“He just has a strong personality. I like the way that he encourages his teammates,” Day said. “I mean, if you watched him last year, I have pictures in my head of when Carnell Tate caught that double move against Northwestern at Wrigley, I remember watching him run down the field on the third-and-Jeremiah, he's the first guy chasing down the play because he's a great teammate.”
“When things got a little dicey in camp, he was the guy that spoke up. He was the guy that challenged everybody. And because of the work he put in and how much he cares about his teammates, his teammates sat up and listened and responded.”– Ryan Day on Brandon Inniss
Tate, who’s had a close friendship with Inniss since they both played for the South Florida Express 7-on-7 team in high school, says Inniss’ energy has rubbed off on the entire team.
“His energy's off the chart,” Tate said. “Like, on the catch that JJ made (in the national championship game vs. Notre Dame), you look on the sideline, BI is 10 feet in the air, jumping up and down, celebrating. So he's tremendous to all of us. Whenever someone makes a play, he's always there to support us, the first one.”
Brandon Inniss was the first Buckeye onto the field to celebrate with Jayden Fielding after his national championship-clinching field goal against Notre Dame.
Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline added to that praise, saying Inniss has been a great teammate throughout his time in Columbus.
“I think to be a captain, it doesn't just happen over even in one year. He's been connecting with guys since the moment he's been here,” Hartline said. “So for him to do what he did his first year, and then last year, to fill the role that he had at the highest level he could possibly do, says a lot about the individual. Made plays in big moments, and then to carry that into the offseason, I think that's probably what earned the respect of his peers.”
Becoming a captain was one of Inniss’ goals for his Ohio State career, and he says he feels “honored and blessed” to have been chosen for what he considers to be “one of the greatest honors you can have as being an Ohio State player.” And he understands the responsibility that comes with that title.
“I just feel like any time I can bring the offense and get the energy going, that's what I need to do, and that's what I will do,” Inniss said.
Inniss has stepped up as a leader not only on the practice field but away from the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, too, recognizing the impact that he can have on his teammates by encouraging them. Earlier this week, Inniss took it upon himself to text Julian Sayin some words of encouragement, wanting Ohio State’s new starting quarterback to know how much he and his teammates believe in Sayin entering the season opener against Texas.
“We texted last night, and I just told him I was proud of him. Just because as a QB, he feels so much pressure right now, a lot of people don't tell him that,” Inniss said Wednesday. “I just wanted him to calm down, feel good about himself … as a quarterback that's starting his first game in the biggest game of the year, honestly, he just needs some words of encouragement.”
Going into Saturday’s game as a starter and a team captain for the first time, Inniss acknowledges there’s a different feeling going into this game knowing he has the opportunity to play a bigger role as both a receiver and as a leader than he ever has before. But he says his excitement entering Saturday’s game has less to do with his own role than the anticipation the entire team has to play Texas again less than eight months after the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl.
“We've been waiting for this moment ever since we won the natty last year,” Inniss said. “We know what we've got coming in here. They’re coming up here and we've got to defend the Shoe.”
