Ryan Day’s Ohio State program is overhauling its roster for the 2026 season, with over 30 players entering the Transfer Portal and several others declaring for the NFL Draft. To fill the gaps, Day’s staff has leaned on the transfer portal while continuing to bring in elite talent through high school recruiting.
Ryan Day Hails Ohio State Star As ‘Poor Man’s Tyreek Hill’
On Friday evening, Day spoke publicly for the first time in a month following Ohio State’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Miami, appearing on 97.1 The Fan for an offseason edition of “The Ryan Day Show.”
Day discussed all of Ohio State’s new coaching staff hires and position groups, as he also spoke on one of the Buckeyes’ 2026 signees, Legend Bey.
“Legend Bey’s a guy who is dynamite,” Day said. “I kind of call him maybe the poor man’s Tyreke Hill. I mean, he can go. When you watch him last year play quarterback in Texas, just five-touchdown games, six-touchdown games, just running around and making guys miss. He’s lightning in a bottle. So he can do a bunch of different things for us. Excited to see him in the spring. Kind of figure out how he can fit into the offense.”
Bay’s journey to Ohio State was highly dramatic: he initially committed to Tennessee, then flipped to Ohio State, and ultimately signed with Josh Heupel’s program on signing day. Some reports revealed he still wanted to join Day’s program, but his mother pressured him to go to Tennessee.
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Bey was only 17 on signing day, and as a minor, he required his parents’ approval for any scholarship agreement. Tennessee later released Bey from that agreement, allowing him to sign with Ohio State.
Bey’s addition is a major boost for the PFSN College Football Defense Impact Metric’s No. 4 team, Ohio State, as he had drawn attention from programs as a high school quarterback. While he was a playmaking quarterback in high school, he is projected to play wide receiver in college.
Bey is ranked No. 129 nationally, the No. 3 athlete in the 2026 class, and the No. 17 player in Texas, according to Rivals Industry Rankings. He is capable of throwing the ball while also being explosive in open space, posing a home run threat every time he touches it.
Ohio State’s 2026 class is loaded with talent, which is headlined by five-star players like wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., linebacker Cincere Johnson, cornerback Jay Timmons, and edge rusher Khary Wilder. The class also features four-star talents such as offensive tackle Sam Greer, safety Blaine Bradford, and cornerback Jordan Thomas.
Meanwhile, Ohio State’s athletic department made headlines on Friday by reporting record revenue for 2025. During fiscal year 2025, Buckeyes athletics generated $336,077,887, the highest in school history, surpassing the previous record of $279.5 million set in fiscal year 2023.
