There's been a silence emanating from the Woody Hayes Athletic Center since the two losses that ended Ohio State's 2025 football season. A focus. No outside noise.
There's been no press conference with Ryan Day since the day the Buckeyes fell to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to end their campaign. No player interviews. Day went on 97.1 the Fan for an hour-long show on Jan. 30, and that's been it for the past six weeks.
Eleven Warriors finally caught up with one of Ohio State's most fiery leaders, senior wide receiver Brandon Inniss, on Tuesday ahead of the Buckeyes' men's basketball win over No. 24 Wisconsin. And it's clear from the words of the returning captain that the scarlet and gray are a motivated bunch this offseason.
“We've still got a bad taste in our mouth,” Inniss said. “This whole year, we're going to be living with that, what happened to us. But we've got to work hard. Ain't nothing going to be given to us. We've just got to be where our feet are right now and work hard in the offseason.”
Winter workouts are where the first bricks are laid for a football season that's still more than half a year ahead. For the past 15 winters, Ohio State's primary brick-layer has been strength and conditioning coach Mick Marotti.
It's about more than building physical fortitude. It's the mental side. To push through hardship and to win. That competitive drive has always been core to what Inniss enjoys about football in general.
“It's been really good,” Inniss said. “It's been really competitive. We've all been training hard every day. Coach Mick has been pushing us to the best of our abilities and it's been really good so far.”
The experience in Ohio State's locker room is already showing in those workouts. After adding a bulk of experience through the transfer portal, the Buckeyes are set to have 20 seniors on their 2026 football roster. It all drives up the intensity of Marotti's training sessions.
“A lot of leadership,” Inniss said. “You see guys screaming at each other every single day to work hard, leadership, pushing the guys, that's what they're doing. That's what it's all about.”
For Inniss personally, he's aiming for higher production in 2026, coming off his first year as a starter at slot receiver for Ohio State. He hauled in 36 passes but for just 271 yards (7.5 yards per reception) and three touchdowns as a junior in 2025. The five-star prospect from the recruiting class of 2023 knows he has more in the tank to tap into.
Inniss’ top goal this offseason is to become more dynamic with the ball in his hands and gain more separation on routes. He's set to be the Buckeyes’ No. 2 wide receiver behind Jeremiah Smith, which means time playing on the outside when Ohio State puts multiple tight ends on the field. That will also carry adjustments.
“Be more explosive on the offensive side of the ball, make more things happen after the catch,” Inniss said of what he's working on this offseason. “Be more of an outside receiver that can do it all.”
There are new bodies to assist Inniss and Smith in Ohio State's receiver room, now coached by Cortez Hankton. Not just talented freshmen like top-50 prospects Chris Henry Jr. and Jerquaden Guilford, but veteran transfers Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker, who are both fourth-year players like Inniss.
“They're really good, man,” Inniss said of McCuin and Parker. “They work really hard, and that's what we love in the receiver room. They're guys that fit the room, I know that's what Coach Day wanted to bring in, guys that fit the room. They're really hard workers, and I just can't wait to put it on the field for spring football.”
Inniss and the rest of the Ohio State wide receivers will begin putting their work on the field when the Buckeyes open practice on March 10.
