Eight Ohio State Freshmen Who Could Contend For Immediate Playing Time in 2026

As evidenced by its work in the transfer portal, where the Buckeyes added players at every position group this offseason, the Buckeyes don’t want to have to rely on freshmen to start right away. But after losing some of the highest-ranked prospects in its 2025 freshman class to the portal after just one year, Ohio State should be looking for ways to get its top freshmen on the field quickly – if they prove they’re ready to play – to give them more incentive to stick around and the experience they need to develop into future Buckeye starters.

Ohio State has one of its largest freshman classes ever after signing 28 prospects in December, and all but one of those signees (offensive lineman Tucker Smith) are already on campus as midyear enrollees. That means there will be plenty of freshmen competing to climb the depth chart this spring – and with 47 scholarship players gone from last season, there will be plenty of open spots on the depth chart for them to compete for.

With all of that in mind, we’re taking a look at the eight members of the 2026 class who are most likely to earn immediate playing time as freshmen based on their talent, where the Buckeyes have openings to fill on their depth chart and the roles they have the potential to play as freshmen.

WR Chris Henry Jr.

We’ll start with the obvious choice. Henry has been the face of Ohio State’s 2026 class from the day he became its first commit in July 2023. As the No. 14 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings, he’s the highest-ranked member in Ohio State’s 2026 class.

Possessing elite physical gifts at 6-foot-5 and 201 pounds, Henry has the length, hands, athleticism and contested-catch ability to be Ohio State’s next superstar receiver. And Ohio State wouldn’t have fought as hard as it did to fend off late flip pushes by Oregon and Texas, among others, if it didn’t think Henry could make an immediate impact.

For the first time in years, Ohio State enters 2026 with only one established star at wide receiver, so there’s a real path for Henry to emerge as the Buckeyes’ No. 2 wide receiver. No one should expect Henry to make quite the impact Jeremiah Smith did as a freshman – Smith, after all, is a generational talent – but no one should be surprised if he becomes an immediate starter like Smith did two years ago.

WR Jerquaden Guilford

While Henry’s drawn most of the spotlight among wide receivers in Ohio State’s 2026 class, Guilford’s late rise up national rankings showed he shouldn’t be overlooked as another potential future star for the Buckeyes.

Ranked as the No. 44 overall prospect in 247Sports’ final composite rankings for 2026, Guilford was actually ranked above Henry in Rivals’ final five-star rankings for the class. And he might be a more natural fit to play opposite Smith this season, as Henry projects to eventually play the X position that Smith currently mans while Guilford projects to play the Z position vacated by Carnell Tate’s NFL draft departure.

A fast, fluid athlete who explodes out of route breaks and is shifty in the open field, Guilford has a skill set that could complement returning starters Smith and Brandon Inniss well. He’ll face plenty of competition for a spot in this year’s rotation, as transfer additions Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker were also brought in to compete at Z, but he’s a strong candidate to at least earn a spot on the two-deep in year one.

CB Jay Timmons

A five-star recruit ranked as the No. 24 overall prospect in the 2026 class, Timmons will have a great chance to earn a spot on the two-deep at either cornerback or nickelback right away.

While Florida State transfer safety Earl Little Jr. is expected to be the Buckeyes’ starting nickel between starting cornerbacks Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez, the depth chart is wide open behind them with the transfer departures of Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West.

The nickel spot, in particular, projects as a natural fit for Timmons, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound defensive back who played in the slot and at safety in high school. While he has the coverage skills to eventually end up outside, his quickest path to the field could come as Ohio State’s No. 2 nickel in 2026, which could also lead to opportunities to play as a sixth defensive back in dime packages. Little could be the next man up at the deep safety spots behind Terry Moore and Jaylen McClain, so Timmons has a chance to establish himself as the first DB off the bench, much like Sanchez did as a true freshman this past season.

CB Jordan Thomas

Thomas, who profiles as an outside cornerback for the Buckeyes, is also a real candidate to be one of Ohio State’s top backups in the secondary right away.

More technically sound than most cornerbacks coming out of high school, Thomas will compete with transfer additions Cam Calhoun and Dominick Kelly, Timmons and redshirt freshman Jordyn Woods to be a top backup cornerback behind Mathews and Sanchez in 2026.

Thomas has college-ready size at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds and has the skills in both coverage and run defense to contribute quickly. Calhoun is likely the frontrunner to be the No. 3 outside cornerback for 2026, but Thomas could be the favorite to round out the two-deep at the position and will likely at least contribute on special teams in year one.

DE Khary Wilder

Defensive line is one of the top positions where freshmen have a chance to contribute at Ohio State, as the Buckeyes typically rotate multiple players across the line, and Wilder – the No. 51 overall prospect in the 2026 class – projects as the most college-ready defensive lineman among Ohio State’s freshmen.

Already built like a college defensive end at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Wilder already does a great job of using his hands to shed blocks and comes from one of the nation’s most competitive regions for high school football in Southern California, where he recorded 20 tackles for loss as a senior.

Since Ohio State has only one established star at defensive end in Kenyatta Jackson Jr., the door will be open for Wilder to earn his way into the rotation in 2026. He’ll have to earn it, as rising sophomore Zion Grady, Alabama transfer Qua Russaw and fifth-year senior Beau Atkinson are the leading candidates to round out the two-deep, but Wilder is plenty capable of emerging as one of OSU’s top three or four defensive ends as a freshman.

Khary Wilder is a candidate to be an immediate factor in Ohio State’s defensive end rotation in 2026. (Photo: Lori Schmidt/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

LB Cincere Johnson

Given that only the top three linebackers have seen regular playing time for Ohio State’s defense in recent seasons, there isn’t a clear-cut path for Johnson to play a major role in 2026. Payton Pierce, Riley Pettijohn and Wisconsin transfer Christian Alliegro figure to lead the linebacker depth chart in one order or another, with two of them starting and the other joining them on the field in three-linebacker packages.

That said, Johnson could prove too talented not to get on the field in some capacity. After all, he is ranked as the No. 1 linebacker and No. 16 overall prospect in the 2026 class. A tackling machine at famed Ohio State pipeline Glenville, Johnson has already drawn comparisons to fellow Tarblooder Arvell Reese, one of two All-American linebackers the Buckeyes are replacing on their 2026 defense.

Johnson will likely start his career competing with the likes of TJ Alford and Garrett Stover to be Ohio State’s No. 4 linebacker. He could quickly emerge as the favorite to win that battle, and if he does, he’ll be just one injury away from playing a much bigger role on the Buckeyes’ defense.

RELATED Chris Henry Jr., Cincere Johnson and Jay Timmons Ranked As Five-Stars in Final Composite Rankings for 2026 Class

S Blaine Bradford

Like Johnson, Bradford plays a position where Ohio State typically hasn’t played a lot of depth in recent seasons. But the Buckeyes don’t have much veteran depth at safety, period, leaving a clear opportunity for Bradford to earn his way onto the two-deep as a freshman.

With Faheem Delane and Malik Hartford opting to enter the transfer portal, Leroy Roker III is the only returning safety other than McClain who played defensive snaps for Ohio State last season. With Roker likely slotting in as the backup free safety behind Moore, Bradford projects as the frontrunner to replace Delane as Ohio State’s second-string strong safety behind McClain.

That might not lead to consistent playing time with the first-team defense, but it would position Bradford to be one of the first safeties off the bench and McClain’s eventual successor at SS. Like Timmons, Thomas and Johnson, Bradford – the 73rd-ranked prospect in the 2026 class – is also a strong candidate to play a big role on special teams as a freshman.

RB/ATH Legend Bey

Bey wouldn’t have been on this list if I had written it a week ago, largely because Bo Jackson and Isaiah West return to lead Ohio State’s running back depth chart. To earn a spot on the three-deep at running back, Bey will have to beat out Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson, redshirt freshman Anthony “Turbo” Rogers and fellow true freshman Favour Akih.

After Ryan Day went out of his way to compare Bey to Tyreek Hill during his radio show on Friday, however, Bey is now firmly on my radar as a freshman to watch this season. Day doesn’t typically go out of his way to publicly talk up a freshman unless that player is a real candidate for playing time, and Day said he thinks Bey “can do a bunch of different things for us.”

Ohio State is looking for more explosive plays from its running backs, so Bey’s ability to provide that could lead to an immediate spot in the rotation if he proves he can be trusted in ball security and pass protection. Another intriguing possibility for getting Bey involved is to have him return kicks, where the Buckeyes should be looking for more explosive returns under new special teams coordinator Robby Discher.

Given that Bey is a high school quarterback making the transition to running back who could also play slot receiver, it’s harder to forecast his exact role as a freshman than anyone else on this list. But Day’s comments suggest Ohio State wants to find a way to get the dynamic four-star prospect involved early.