Ohio State feeling better about back half of wide receiver rotation

Ohio State is a receiver factory. At this point, the Buckeyes are pumping out at least one first-round NFL wideout a year. Except, even a program that’s got as good of a case as anyone for “Wide Receiver U” can face depth concerns at the position — maybe not among the top-four receivers but in the back half of the rotation.

That’s the spot the Buckeyes found themselves in earlier this offseason, especially because only one of Ohio State’s four receivers from the 2022 signing class is still with the program.

Head coach Ryan Day talked about it in the spring, and he mentioned it again in the summer: He and receivers coach/co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline needed wideouts No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 to step up.

It seems like that’s happened.

“I think that we’re building depth there,” Day said Thursday. “I feel better now than I did certainly two weeks ago.”

When asked about which receivers have risen to the occasion, Day started by talking about sophomore Brandon Inniss, although Inniss is expected to be WR4 for the Buckeyes this fall. Inniss, after all, has taken steps toward a potential second-year breakout this offseason and was the On3 Industry Ranking’s No. 5 wideout in the 2023 class.

The next name Day mentioned was Bryson Rodgers.

“If Bryson Rodgers can continue to play strong and physical and block in the perimeter run game and catch the ball in contact,” Day said later, “he’s got tremendous change of direction. He can run routes underneath. He’s working on making sure that he’s keeping that weight up.

“I think he wants to be like north of 187, and he’s got to be because that position is a physical position. He’s shown that he can do it. So that would be encouraging to have him there as a weapon for us.”

Rodgers played only six offensive snaps last year, according to Pro Football Focus. In addition to his route running, he’s known for his high catch rate inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Rodgers nearly left Ohio State this offseason but returned to the program after entering the portal last winter. The Buckeyes are happy to have him in the fold, and he could be in for a noticeable role this season.

Day went on to discuss the lone remaining scholarship wideout from the 2022 class on the roster, Kojo Antwi.

“I’ve been very impressed with Kojo Antwi — in special teams, he’s ran good routes, he’s become very accountable,” Day said. “I just like his work ethic. He’s really changed his body. He’s changed his life. He’s changed his habits. I’m proud of the preseason that Kojo’s had. And we really need him to be a guy that can help us this year.

“I see some things in him that are pretty special, and I’m hoping that we can continue to build on that.”

Antwi had a solid spring ahead of the 2023 season with a handful of highlight-worthy catches, but he played just five offensive snaps as a sophomore. Those five snaps came against Minnesota in the home finale, and only one of them was a pass snap, per PFF. Antwi didn’t see special teams time last season after logging 12 special teams snaps the year before.

It sounds like that special teams snap count will come back into play this year, and, at the very least, it appears as if he’s in line to finally record his first reception in a Buckeyes uniform.

Day also said that senior Jayden Ballard has “flashed,” but, as Day pointed out, the speedster’s done that in the past. The Buckeyes are still wanting more consistency from Ballard, who finished last season as Ohio State’s go-to punt returner.

Another wideout that’s standing out to Day right now is true freshman Mylan Graham, a summer enrollee and another On3 Industry Ranking top-10 wideout along with phenom Jeremiah Smith.

“Mylan Graham, for a young player, has really had a good five days. He kind of got to the point where he had that, we call it the kind of the doldrums of camp — where he can’t really get any momentum — and then the last five days, he’s built his own momentum, made plays.

“I believe he graded out a ‘champion’ in the [scrimmage] on Saturday, so that’s been encouraging to see from him.”

Ohio State’s upper echelon of the receiving corps includes senior Emeka Egbuka, sophomore Carnell Tate, Inniss and Smith. Now there’s more clarity about the back half of a rotation that typically stretches seven deep in an explosive Buckeyes offense.