In the highest-stakes rep of Ohio State’s Student Appreciation Day practice, Jeremiah Smith reminded everyone that he’s the best receiver in college football.
Over an hour of practice that had been open to students and media members, it had been a relatively quiet day for Ohio State’s superstar wideout – in part because the Buckeyes had many of their other receivers taking reps in his place. But when Ohio State called its starters onto the field for a fourth-down, “gotta-have-it” play in the red zone which would determine which side of the ball would have to run post-practice gassers, Smith came through in a big way for the offense.
While Ohio State defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. got pressure up the middle, forcing Julian Sayin to throw off-balance, Jeremiah Smith outleaped Buckeye safety Jaylen McClain in the back of the end zone to haul in the scrimmage-winning touchdown, prompting a raucous celebration from the Ohio State offense.
That said, there was still a threat that the offense, students and out-of-shape media members like me would have to run gassers, too. Following Smith’s touchdown catch, Ohio State called on Connor Hawkins to kick a roughly 35-yard field goal. The consequence if he missed: “Everyone in the building” would have to run.
Fortunately, in an all-too-welcome sight for Ohio State fans, Hawkins passed the first test of his ability to kick under pressure, drilling his field goal through the uprights to conclude the practice session.
Ohio State closed its Student Appreciation Day with a high-pressure kick for Connor Hawkins. He drilled it down the middle. pic.twitter.com/eASMkj2kRb
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) April 4, 2026
Those two end-of-practice moments highlighted a practice that also included several other standouts among Ohio State’s offseason transfer additions, a test of the Buckeyes’ offensive tackle depth and a star-studded crowd, all of which we’ll recap below.
McCuin, Smith earn black stripe removals
Former UTSA wide receiver Devin McCuin and former Alabama defensive tackle James Smith became the sixth and seventh players of the spring to have their black stripes removed following Saturday’s practice. That shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone who watched Saturday’s practice.
McCuin was the offense’s top playmaker on Saturday, repeatedly using his speed and shiftiness to get open and make plays downfield. Following a seven-day stretch in which fellow transfer Kyle Parker was the first Buckeye of the spring to lose his black stripe, Brock Boyd was the first (and still only) freshman of the spring to shed his black stripe and Ryan Day said Chris Henry Jr.’s goal should be to start in Week 1, McCuin made his own case on Saturday for why he should be in the starting lineup alongside Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss, adding another layer to what’s quickly become the spring’s most intriguing position battle.
James Smith was disruptive throughout the practice, recording a sack and stopping a run for a tackle for loss in team drills while also dominating his competition in defensive line vs. offensive line one-on-ones. Smith plays with a fiery temperament on the field, which perhaps went a bit too far during one-on-ones, as he struck freshman offensive lineman Mason Wilhelm on the side of the helmet following a physical rep between them. But he’s been the most consistently impressive defensive tackle during the portions of spring practice that have been open to the media and looks to be well on his way to earning a starting spot on Ohio State’s interior defensive line this season.
Other transfer standouts in Saturday’s practice included defensive end Qua Russaw and linebacker Christian Alliegro, who both flashed while lining up in various spots along the defensive front on Saturday, and cornerback Dominick Kelly, who was strong in downfield coverage and blew up a screen pass during team drills.
Moore, Lowe fill in for injured starting tackles
Ohio State was without both of its returning starters at offensive tackles from last season, Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels, after both reportedly underwent procedures for minor injuries. With Siereveld and Daniels absent from Saturday’s practice, Ian Moore started at left tackle while Carter Lowe repped at right tackle with the first-team offense.
Moore had a strong showing filling in for Siereveld, holding his ground well in pass protection and winning one-on-one reps against Zion Grady and Beau Atkinson. Lowe, on the other hand, looked like a redshirt freshman who still has a way to go in his development before he’ll be ready to start at offensive tackle for the Buckeyes; he spent much of the practice going head-to-head with Kenyatta Jackson Jr., with Jackson frequently getting the best of his three-years-younger and far less experienced counterpart.
As is often the case at Student Appreciation Day, Ohio State’s defensive line got the best of the Buckeyes’ offensive line as a whole. Sayin faced a good amount of pressure behind the first-team offensive line, which also consisted of Luke Montgomery at left guard, Carson Hinzman at center and Gabe VanSickle at right guard. The second-team offensive line frequently looked overmatched; with Joshua Padilla and Jake Cook also out, that group consisted of Sam Greer at left tackle, Maxwell Riley at left guard, Mason Wilhelm at center, Simon Lorentz at right guard and Deontae Armstrong at right tackle.
In addition to James Smith, other standouts on the defensive line included defensive ends Beau Atkinson and Epi Sitanilei, who were frequently seen getting pressure on Sayin and St. Clair. Will Smith Jr. also had multiple quarterback pressures. Jason Moore was disruptive when he was on the field, though most of his reps came with the twos and threes with the Smiths, Eddrick Houston and John Walker leading the defensive tackle depth chart. Freshman defensive tackles Damari Simeon and Jamir Perez also flashed, with Perez – a 6-foot-3, 360-pound nose tackle – entertainingly rubbing his belly in celebration after he forced a Justyn Martin throw into coverage, resulting in a pass breakup by Eli Lee, with a quarterback pressure.
Additional Notes
- Tavien St. Clair’s improvement from last spring to this spring was obvious. Even though he faced plenty of pressure behind the second-team offensive line, St. Clair looked composed and in command all day, extending plays with his feet outside the pocket and delivering accurate strikes down the field. Day said this week that St. Clair has shown more confidence this spring now that he’s in his second offseason, and the redshirt freshman quarterback backed that up with his performance on Saturday.
- Inniss was a consistent target for Sayin alongside McCuin and Smith on Saturday, including multiple touchdown catches. It’s another indicator that chemistry between Sayin and Inniss is growing as Inniss looks to make a much bigger impact as Ohio State’s No. 2 receiver in 2026 after catching just 36 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns as the Buckeyes’ No. 3 receiver in 2025.
- Only three running backs took reps during team drills on Saturday: Ja’Kobi Jackson, Favour Akih and Stanley Jackson Jr. Bo Jackson and Isaiah West are both out for the spring with injuries. Legend Bey, who Day said earlier this week is dealing with a minor injury, and Anthony “Turbo” Rogers did not take any reps in team drills, though both were present at practice and participating in drill work.
- With the defensive line bringing frequent pressure, checkdown throws to the running back were a popular play for Ohio State in the passing game on Saturday. Jackson, in particular, looked very comfortable in that area of the game, consistently catching the ball cleanly and showing his ability to make plays after the catch.
- Alongside students and media, former Ohio State players were also invited to attend Saturday’s practice. Some of the many former Buckeyes we spotted in attendance: Braxton Miller, Keith Byars, Roy Hall, Josh Myers, Patrick Gurd, Miyan Williams, Matt Wilhelm (the father of Mason Wilhelm), Bradley Robinson, Davison Igbinosun and Stanley Jackson (the father of Stanley Jackson Jr.).
- Recruits in attendance for Saturday’s practice included 2027 five-star wide receivers Jamier Brown and Monshun Sales, 2027 five-star offensive tackle Oluwasemilore Olubobola, 2027 four-star quarterback Wonderful Monds IV, 2027 four-star linebacker AJ Randle, 2028 five-star defensive end Kameron McGee, 2028 four-star defensive end Jermaine Smith Jr. and 2028 quarterback Reign St. Clair (the younger brother of Tavien St. Clair), among others.
- As was the case last year, Jeremiah Smith drew the largest post-practice crowd of any Buckeye by far from his fellow students seeking photos and autographs. Sayin also drew a large crowd of autograph-seeking fans.
Julian Sayin draws a crowd, too. pic.twitter.com/sHDDhoAq8x
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) April 4, 2026
