Several current and former Buckeyes were recognized on ESPN college football analyst Bill Connelly’s list of the 40 most important college football players in 2026, with each highlighted in a different category.
Ohio State wide receiver Brandon Inniss was the first Buckeye to appear on the list, landing in the “potential stars in need of a breakthrough” section.
“Even against double coverage, Jeremiah Smith is probably going to have a pretty good year in 2026. But if Ohio State has a properly dangerous No. 2 wideout — last year’s No. 2 Carnell Tate and tight end Max Klare are both gone — then Smith could make a Heisman push,” Connelly wrote. “Inniss, now a senior, was a reliable if tame weapon in 2025, suffering zero drops but averaging just 7.5 yards per catch. Transfers and five-star freshmen such as Chris Henry Jr. will play roles, but bigger contributions from Inniss would be huge.”
Inniss spent the past two seasons behind Ohio State’s top receiving options, serving as the No. 4 receiver behind Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka in 2024 before moving into the No. 3 role behind Smith and Tate in 2025.
He recorded 14 catches for 176 yards and one touchdown in 2024, then followed that with 36 receptions for 271 yards and three touchdowns last season.
His counterpart, wideout Jeremiah Smith, was placed in the “pure transcendence potential” category.
Over the past two seasons, Smith has established himself as one of college football’s premier wide receivers, earning Big Ten Receiver of the Year honors twice while totaling 163 receptions for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Connelly posed the question of how much Smith can produce without an established No. 2 receiver and with a larger share of the offense on his shoulders.
“It might be one of the more exciting thoughts of the season: Smith caught 87 balls for 1,243 yards and 12 scores last year in an offense that took almost no risks whatsoever thanks to a nearly perfect defense and an inexperienced quarterback,” Connelly said. “What might he be capable of if Ohio State actually has to throw the ball now and then?”
Ohio State also had a pair of newcomers represented, as defensive tackles James Smith and John Walker were named in the “Most important non-quarterback transfers” category.
“Matt Patricia’s first Ohio State defense was absurdly good, but he’s now replacing nine of the 13 players who saw 300-plus snaps and that includes four of five defensive linemen,” Connelly said. “There are plenty of former star recruits in the pipeline, but Ryan Day and Patricia will need strong, veteran contributions from at least one transfer big man, be it Smith (24 tackles and 5.5 TFLs at Alabama last year) or Walker (38 tackles, 3.5 TFLs at UCF).”
Both Smith and Walker are expected to play significant roles at defensive tackle alongside returning starter Eddrick Houston.
Smith, the No. 25 overall player in the transfer portal and the third-ranked defensive lineman, arrives after a productive stint with the Crimson Tide. Walker, on the other hand, was ranked as the No. 25 defensive lineman and No. 292 overall transfer, according to 247Sports.
The list also featured two former Buckeye quarterbacks who transferred out of the program.
Lincoln Kienholz, who transferred from Ohio State to Louisville this offseason after losing the Buckeyes’ quarterback battle to Julian Sayin, was recognized in the “Breaking Down the Other Conferences” section.
“Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals are my personal lean for the ACC No. 2 spot, but the return of only three offensive starters means the Cardinals will be relying on quite a few high-upside transfers to score points,” Connelly wrote. “Granted, that’s usually not a problem for a Brohm offense, but in Kienholz he has a passer with more athleticism and upside than last year’s starter, Miller Moss, but also a player who has attempted just two non-garbage-time dropbacks in the last two seasons. Is he ready?”
Kienholz appeared in 12 games across his three seasons at Ohio State from 2023-25. Serving as Julian Sayin’s backup in 2025, he completed 11 of 14 passes for 139 yards and one touchdown while adding 66 rushing yards and two scores on 11 carries.
Another former Buckeye signal-caller, Air Noland, also made the list after transferring to Memphis this offseason, his second transfer in as many years following a season at South Carolina.
Noland was included in the “Group of 6” category as he competes with West Florida transfer Marcus Stokes for Memphis’ starting job under first-year head coach Charles Huff.
The former five-star prospect spent just one season at Ohio State in 2024, winning a national championship but never seeing game action as the Buckeyes’ fifth-string quarterback behind starter Will Howard, backup Devin Brown, Kienholz and Sayin.
