Players to Watch: Brandon Inniss looks for bigger role in 2026

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Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Ball State.

Ohio State must replace Carnell Tate as a threat to take some of the heat off of Jeremiah Smith.

Tate excelled in that role, and selflessly so, as he could have gone just about anywhere to be the clear-cut No. 1 receiver. The standout former Buckeye went fourth overall in this spring’s NFL Draft, setting a high bar for his former teammate Smith when he gets his name called by the Sunday league.

But Ohio State had a third starting wide receiver that didn’t get nearly the press or the accolades as the two deep threats playing out wide — Brandon Inniss.

The senior returns to the OSU offense in 2026 and will look to leave his own mark after serving as a role player throughout his Buckeye career so far.

Inniss, a former five-star recruit who was the No. 3 wide receiver nationally and the No. 22 player overall out of Hollywood, Florida, finished a distant third among OSU receivers in catches, yards, and touchdowns a year ago, often working underneath or across the middle. He also finished behind tight end Max Klare in two of those categories (receptions, yards).

But as his recruiting ranking indicates, the talent is there for Inniss. As he enters 2026, he’ll be looking to show that he’s not just “the third guy” in the OSU wide receiver room.

Our Justin Golba wrote a year ago that Inniss was poised for a breakout season. But the Buckeyes used fewer three-receiver sets in 2025 than expected, inserting more tight ends, which is likely a trend that will continue in 2026 under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

Ohio State will look to run the ball more and open up the passing game by establishing the run. The shots downfield will (and must) continue, because not taking advantage of Jeremiah Smith’s skills would be like buying a Ferrari and leaving it in the garage.

But someone has to be the threat across from Smith that Tate has been. Inniss could be that guy. We haven’t seen much of Inniss as a deep threat so far in his career. In 14 games last year, Inniss caught 36 balls for 231 yards and three touchdowns.

At Ohio State, those are pedestrian numbers even for a No. 3 guy, which shows the Buckeyes’ commitment to more tight ends and running backs on the field a year ago.

Inniss was the fourth receiver in 2024 and he finished that year with 14 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown. And despite the fact that he only caught one pass during his freshman year, that was enough to show that he could catch a deep ball and be dangerous in the open field afterwards.

He took that lone catch 58 yards to the house against Purdue.

Inniss has shown his value as a third receiver and on special teams. If he were to continue in those roles in 2026, those areas would be in good hands. But Inniss can do more for the Buckeye offense.

He’ll have to hold off some incredibly gifted younger receivers to do it, and he’ll have to produce when called upon. But if he can do those things, Inniss could have his long-awaited breaktout year and make his own statement ahead of next year’s NFL Draft.

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