Wearing the Block ‘O’ jersey is one of the highest honors a player can earn at Ohio State, awarded annually to the Buckeye who best exemplifies “toughness, accountability, and the highest character” on and off the field.
Yet, when senior wide receiver Brandon Inniss first realized he was in line for the prestigious No. 0, he hesitated at the thought of parting ways with the No. 1 jersey he had worn for nearly his entire football career.
“I wore No. 1 for a lot of my football career. It just felt like me, so when I first thought about (receiving the Block ‘O’), I was kind of like iffy on it if I’m being honest,” Inniss said. “Then I thought about it more as we got closer, and I knew who it was between. I probably had a pretty good chance of getting it.”
Ultimately, head coach Ryan Day’s core pillars for the program, particularly the idea of leaders being unselfish, helped reshape Inniss’ perspective on what wearing the number truly represents.
“When I got it, I just kept hearing a voice in the back of my head. It was Coach Day saying we have core values on our team. One of them is unselfishness,” Inniss said. “It’s an honor for me to carry this (number). All the great people who have worn it before were tremendous leaders.
“To be unselfish was to give up the number that means so much to me, No. 1, and to come in this No. 0, the Block ‘O,’ and have that honor. It was something that I wanted to do, not only for me, but for Buckeye Nation and my teammates, for all who wanted me to have this number, and for my coaches as well.”
For Inniss, making the jersey swap became less about sacrificing a personal tradition and more about stepping into a larger role for the team.
Last season, Inniss stepped into his biggest role to date on and off the field, earning captain honors as one of just four players, and only two juniors, selected for the distinction.
The 6-0, 197-pound wideout also posted career highs with 36 catches for 271 yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Inniss, who not only earned the Block ‘O’ but was also named a captain for the second straight season in 2026, credited former Ohio State wide receiver Xavier Johnson, the team’s Block ‘O’ honoree during Inniss’ freshman season in 2023, along with several other current and former Buckeye receivers who served as mentors throughout his career.
“It’s very rewarding,” Inniss said. “It feels good to have this honor. I can’t say how thankful I am enough. I learned a lot from guys that came through here. A guy who had this number in my room my freshman year, Xavier Johnson, I learned from him. Emeka (Egbuka), Marvin (Harrison Jr.), Carnell (Tate), (Jeremiah Smith), we had a lot of guys. Even Jaxon (Smith-Njigba), Garrett (Wilson), all of them coming back, pouring into us. We had a lot of guys, and just a lot to learn from.”
The Hollywood, Fla., native added that the wide receiver unit has long served as the baseline for Ohio State’s culture, carrying a reputation for both elite output and relentless work ethic.
For Inniss, upholding that tradition means ensuring he and fellow veteran wideouts like Smith set the standard for not only the rest of “Zone 6”, but the rest of the Buckeye roster.
“We know the standard in the wideout room, and we make a lot of plays,” Inniss said. “So I think a lot of guys listen to our room. They know what our standard is, and we hold ourselves to that standard, so they see it. JJ and I can hold ourselves to that standard. Other guys are going to listen to us. They see how hard we work, or they see that we’re not just picking on young guys, but we’re also holding each other accountable.”
Inniss became the seventh player to don the Ohio State’s Block ‘O’ and the third receiver to do so, joining Johnson and Kamryn Babb (2022).
