Devin McCuin, Dominick Kelly Headline 16 Standouts from Ohio State's Student Appreciation Day Practice

By Andy Anders on April 4, 2026 at 7:02 pm
Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
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If Student Appreciation Day is any indication, there’s a lot to be excited about with Ohio State’s transfer portal acquisitions. And a handful of its youngsters.

UTSA transfer wide receiver Devin McCuin, Georgia transfer cornerback Dominick Kelly, Alabama transfer defensive tackle James Smith and Florida transfer running back Ja’Kobi Jackson delivered some of the most eye-popping performances during more than an hour of practice open to the students and media. Tavien St. Clair showed massive gains in his second season as a backup quarterback for Ohio State, flashing his five-star potential.

Alongside St. Clair, redshirt freshman defensive end Epi Sitanilei and freshman running back Favour Akih were among a handful of first- and second-year prospects that stood out from the Buckeyes’ backups. Many more players made waves, too.

Here’s my list of 16 Guys Who Looked Good™ at Ohio State’s open Student Appreciation Day practice.

WR Devin McCuin

McCuin transferred in after starring for the Roadrunners to see if he could contend with the best of the best in college football. On Saturday, he looked the part.

The senior caught a slew of passes from Julian Sayin and St. Clair, showcasing his speed with big runs afterward, particularly on a few mesh routes where he gained separation and turned upfield for chunks. Another deep pass he caught and shook a defender loose in one slick motion, giving his best impression of a joystick. St. Clair found him near the sideline on a well-run out route for another big gain.

A four-man battle is brewing between McCuin, LSU transfer Kyle Parker and freshmen Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd to start at the Z receiver position alongside Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss. But McCuin showed Saturday why he might have a leg up this spring – and shed his black stripe in the process.

CB Dominick Kelly

Ohio State’s cornerbacks had a strong day as a position group opposite some standout receivers, and the most impressive of the bunch was Kelly. He nearly intercepted a pass early and showed tight coverage to deny multiple completions throughout practice. No play was more impressive than the one he made against a quick receiver screen in the red zone period of practice, however, hitting his man as the pass arrived to deny any gain.

Kelly, a sophomore, is in a position to be the Buckeyes’ third cornerback this fall if he keeps playing the way he did at Student Appreciation Day. His top competition will come from Alabama transfer Cam Calhoun and freshman Jay Timmons.

QB Tavien St. Clair

St. Clair showed more accuracy than a spell check with the Oxford Dictionary on Saturday. In the pocket, rolling out, off-platform, it didn’t seem to affect his ability to drop a tight spiral into the waiting arms of a receiver. He had to make plenty of throws of the latter type, too, as in typical spring fashion, Ohio State’s second-team defensive line overwhelmed its second-team offensive line all practice.

DT James Smith

If Smith emerges as the star his recruiting and portal rankings projected him to be in 2026, it will propel the Silver Bullets back toward the top of the nation’s defensive metrics. He showed signs of that stardom on Student Appreciation Day.

He pitched a tent in the offensive backfield and collected several tackles for loss, including a sack of Sayin. Smith rolled between nose guard and three-technique defensive tackle, a versatility that defensive line coach Larry Johnson will love as he figures out the best configuration for this year’s front four. And he joined McCuin in shedding his black stripe.

DE Epi Sitanilei

Sitanilei was the most disruptive defensive end at the practice for Ohio State, recording at least two sacks against mostly the Buckeyes’ second-team offensive line and giving St. Clair consistent headaches with his pressure. A speed rusher, his agility and bend were real problems for Carter Lowe, Sam Greer and the rest of the offensive tackles who tried to block him.

CB Devin Sanchez

The top corner to come close to outshining Kelly is the sophomore projected to start ahead of him in 2026, Sanchez. The five-star prospect is building on the opportunities he got as a freshman in 2025, and there didn’t seem to be a pass where he was out of phase in coverage. He made a disciplined play to shut down a check-down to Jackson for a 1-yard gain and broke up a potential touchdown pass in the red zone.

WR Brandon Inniss

There seemed to be at least one play each game in 2025 that Inniss got open and Sayin didn’t see him, though it was a disappointing year on the whole for Ohio State’s starting slot receiver, who lacked the explosion projected by his five-star recruiting ranking. But on Saturday, Inniss was one of Sayin’s favorite targets.

Inniss caught two touchdown passes, including one on a crisp slant route where he used his body to shield off a defender. He made a key situational catch in the Buckeyes’ third-down period. He’ll want to work on getting more separation for big plays after the catch, but he was a dependable pair of hands for Sayin to look to.

OT Ian Moore

With both Austin Siereveld and Phillip Daniels out with injuries at offensive tackle, Moore got a chance to play with Ohio State’s first-team all practice and didn’t disappoint. His performance in pass rush one-on-ones was especially dominant. He stonewalled both Zion Grady and Beau Atkinson, despite their spin moves, two defensive ends competing to start for the Buckeyes this fall.

DE Kenyatta Jackson Jr.

It was a quieter team period for Jackson as Ohio State’s coaching staff limits the fifth-year player’s reps, but in pass rush one-on-ones, he was an unstoppable force. He overpowered with his strength on a few reps and his speed on others. 

DE Beau Atkinson

Atkinson got first-team work on Saturday and registered at least one sack with plenty of pressures on Sayin. Both his body and play looked markedly improved after a disappointing 2025 season following his transfer from North Carolina. Ohio State’s defensive end room is crowded between Jackson, Grady, Alabama transfer Qua Russaw, Sitanilei and talented freshman Khary Wilder. Still, Atkinson seems motivated to make an impact in his final year of college football.

RB Favour Akih

There were times it looked like Akih’s jersey was covered in cooking spray. He proved a load to bring down at several points in practice, with a jerky, downhill running style that gave Ohio State’s second- and third-team defense trouble sometimes. Others, he had difficulty finding space to run, but he broke off a couple of nice chunk plays with a couple of catches out of the backfield.

RB Ja’Kobi Jackson

Despite his status as a running back, Jackson impressed most as a receiving threat at Student Appreciation Day, possibly leading the field in receptions after Sayin and St. Clair fed him a litany of check-downs. Being a safety valve can be an important trait out of the backfield, and Jackson flexed that skill.

OG Maxwell Riley

Two highlights stuck out from the four-star freshman Riley on Saturday: A great pull and lead block to generate a 10-yard-plus run for Akih and his walling of defensive tackle Eddrick Houston in pass rush one-on-ones. He was a bright spot on a day when the depth of the front five mostly struggled, though that again is expected in spring practice.

S Blaine Bradford

Bradford delivered two big hits after flying down from his safety position. One of them came when the Buckeyes weren’t tackling in their “thud” tempo, a fact he had to be reminded of over the speakers, but the talented freshman isn’t showing any fear in his first spring.

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LB Eli Lee

The biggest standout from the third-team defense was Lee, who flew sideline to sideline to make plays with emphatic hits. He stuffed Akih for no gain on one run and broke up a pass near the sideline on another play.

WR Jeremiah Smith

Smith remains the best player in college football and reminded everyone of that fact on the last play of practice. He leapt to snag a prayer of a pass from Sayin on a simulated fourth-and-goal to say his offense from gassers and instead hand them to the defense.

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