Ryan Day compared one of Ohio State’s new freshmen to one of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers on Friday.
During his appearance on The Ryan Day Show, Day compared freshman running back/wide receiver Legend Bey to NFL star Tyreek Hill, noting Bey’s ability to make defenders miss as an offensive playmaker.
“Legend Bey is a guy who is dynamite,” Day said. “I kinda call him maybe the poor man's Tyreek Hill. I mean, he can go. And when you watch him last year play quarterback in Texas – five-touchdown games, six-touchdown games, just running around, making guys miss – he's lightning in a bottle. So he can do a bunch of different things for us.”
Comparing Bey to Hill before Bey has ever played a collegiate snap is certainly high praise. Hill has been one of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers for the past decade, making eight Pro Bowls, gaining 13,681 all-purpose and scoring 96 touchdowns as a receiver, runner, kickoff returner and punt returner.
While Hill primarily plays wide receiver, Bey is expected to primarily play running back at Ohio State. As Day mentioned, however, Bey was a quarterback in high school, while he also has the skill set to play slot receiver. Bey should have plenty of opportunities to get reps at running back this spring, as Bo Jackson and Isaiah West will both miss spring practice due to shoulder injuries, but Day says Ohio State will look for different ways to get him involved in the offense.
“Excited to see him in the spring, kind of figure out how he can fit into the offense,” Day said. “Now, he's a freshman, but OK, he's got the ability. So that's the great thing about getting these guys in here at mid-year. They get to go through it, and by the time it gets to August and September, they're not freshmen anymore. Now they gotta go, and they came here to play. So excited that that one worked out as well.”
Bey initially signed with Tennessee on National Signing Day due to pressure from family members, but ultimately signed with Ohio State a few weeks later after Tennessee granted him a release from his scholarship agreement. Based on Day’s comments, it’s clear to see why Ohio State never gave up on landing Bey, who was ranked as the No. 126 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2026 class.
Regardless of where he lines up, Bey will face plenty of competition to get on the field as a freshman. Ja’Kobi Jackson, Anthony “Turbo” Rogers and fellow freshman Favour Akih will also be competing for reps at running back behind Jackson and West. Brandon Inniss returns as Ohio State’s starting slot receiver, with LSU transfer Kyle Parker also being a candidate to play there.
The fact that Day went out of his way to send lofty praise Bey’s way when talking about Ohio State’s running backs on Friday, however, suggests the four-star prospect will be a player to watch as he begins his Buckeye career.
