The Ohio State Buckeyes are under 24 hours from opening the season against Ball State in Columbus.
Most of the national attention will stay on quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. A few other names can become stars in their own right if they produce early.
One of them is cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. The senior has improved year after year. Last season he forced a fumble, recorded two interceptions, and added 20 tackles. He played in 12 games, including the College Football Playoff loss to Miami.
Who else could break out?
Soon-to-be senior wide receiver Devin McCuin is trying to take the next step after a productive 2025 at UTSA. He caught 65 passes for eight touchdowns before transferring to Ohio State this offseason.
Ryan Day has been blunt about how quickly McCuin has earned trust in camp.
“Devin is someone who’s solidified himself pretty quickly as someone that’s going to play a lot of football at the starter level,” Day told reporters. “That was important … making sure we identified him in the portal as the right player. That was big. When you go into the portal it has to be the right fit culturally, but on the field. I remember watching the film of him and it was against A&M, he was just competing his tail off out there.”
Day said the jump from spring to summer was obvious once McCuin settled in.
“You saw him come in in the spring, do some good things,” Day said. “But in the summer, he’s taken off with his body and just the way he’s practiced. And I think a lot of the guys would tell you that he’s as good as we’ve had here.”
McCuin and Legend Bey are two more reasons Ohio State’s supporting cast can become a story of its own. Sayin and Smith will get the headlines Saturday. Mathews Jr., McCuin, and Bey are the names that can make this roster look deeper than the star power alone.
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