Comments from Ryan Day at start of spring practice offer a big hint as to why Legend Bey chose Ohio State over Tennessee
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One of the most bizarre moments of the offseason for the Tennessee Vols came in early December when four-star athlete Legend Bey flipped from the Ohio State Buckeyes on the first day of the early signing period and signed with UT.
At the time, it looked like a massive win for the Volunteers.
But shortly after signing with Tennessee, reports emerged that Bey actually wanted to sign with Ohio State.
According to 247Sports’ Mike Roach, Bey’s mother preferred him to sign with Tennessee.
“In the weeks leading up to Signing Day, rumors began to surface that Bey’s mother preferred for her son to stay with the Vols,” reported Roach. “As the date drew closer, there was more pressure on the speedy playmaker to switch back to the Vols. The noise was so loud that it caused an internal rift within his family, sources told 247Sports. Behind the scenes, Bey expressed his desire to sign with the Buckeyes, but he also didn’t want to upset his mother.”
Tennessee eventually released Bey from his letter of intent and he signed with Ohio State.
Comments from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day offer a hint as to why Legend Bey chose the Buckeyes over the Vols
Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with reporters on Tuesday as spring practice gets underway, and he made some comments about Bey that could hint at why the four-star recruit chose the Buckeyes over the Vols.
Day noted that Ohio State is starting Bey out at running back, which is notable because the Volunteers were planning to use him at wide receiver.
“Just day one out there, he started at running back,” said Day. “He played quarterback in high school, so he has a tremendous skill set, and he’s dynamic when the ball is in his hands. We see him as somebody that could play running back and also move out to wide receiver, sort of like — I wasn’t here with Curtis Samuel, but I watched a lot of film from when he was here. He kind of reminds me of that style of player.
“I think we’re trying to get a feel for that now, because really, he played a lot of quarterback in high school, so we’re trying to see what best fits him when he gets moving. So today was just the start. You can see him flash, but he’s got a lot of football to learn.”
Early playing time was important to Bey in the recruiting process, and it appears that Ohio State is going to find a way to get him on the field early.
At Tennessee, Bey was likely going to be buried on the wide receiver depth chart as a true freshman.
One question Vols fans may have is why Tennessee didn’t recruit Bey as a hybrid-type player.
I can’t speak for Tennessee’s coaching staff, but it’s worth pointing out that the Vols had a hybrid type player in Cam Seldon in 2023 and 2024 who didn’t really make an impact offensively (Seldon transferred to Virginia Tech after the 2024 season and he’s now at USF after the Hokies brought in a new coaching staff).
Seldon and Bey are obviously different players, so it’s not fair to compare the two. But it’s also true that Tennessee simply hasn’t had a “hybrid” style player (like a Deebo Samuel or Percy Harvin) under Josh Heupel. And if that’s the type of role that Bey sees for himself in college, then it’s easy to see why he chose the Buckeyes over the Vols.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Mar 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Nashville section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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