Ohio State Wide Receiver Signees Brandon Inniss, Noah Rogers, Carnell Tate And Bryson Rodgers “Are Gonna Be Really Good Players For Us”

It’s hard to start a discussion of the talent Ohio State signed Wednesday without first mentioning the crown jewel of the 2023 Buckeyes class, the only five-star in the group that many consider the best Consider the nation’s wide receiver.

Instead, Day modified his response at Wednesday’s press conference to include all four wideouts who had signed National Letters of Intent to play Ohio State on day one of the early signing period. After all, the group is hardly a one-man band.

“You look at all four of these guys… all four want to come in and make a difference.”—Ryan Day on OSU’s 2023 WR signees

Only one program in the country has nabbed three of the top 10 wide receivers this recruitment cycle, according to 247Sports composite rankings. And if you’re familiar with Brian Hartline’s exploits over the past few years, there wouldn’t be a need to figure out which team that is.

Noah Rogers and Carnell Tate aren’t far off Inniss’ recruiting stats, and even the lowest-rated pass catcher of the four — Wiregrass Ranch High School’s Bryson Rodgers — is still a four-star contender.

According to Day, each member of the announced quartet has the same destination when they arrive in Columbus.

“Look at all four of these guys; You’re looking at Brandon, Carnell, Noah, and Bryson Rodgers. I think all four of these guys are going to be really good players for us,” Day said. “And all four want to come in and make a difference.”

With the accumulation of elite players in Hartline’s position space, it can be an uphill battle for any of the four to really make a big impact as rookies. This year’s three starting receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Julian Fleming, are all expected to remain in the program for the 2023 season.

But far from betting against Inniss’s chances of showing his talent at some point in his freshman year, even if he doesn’t get many snaps for it.

During his senior season at American Heritage High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Inniss caught 73 passes for 1,336 yards and 15 touchdowns against some of the nation’s top rivals. That’s not all that has impressed Day and co. The Buckeye head coach cited Inniss as a leader in the 2023 class, a prospect who was rallying other recruits and a play that was easy to build after committing to the program in June.

TIED TOGETHER Signed: Brandon Inniss becomes Ohio State’s fifth five-star wide receiver in five years

“Brandon, from the start he just had a presence, he had a leadership quality early on,” Day said. “His game that season, which took them back to the state championship after the year before he played quarterback, you could just tell he was just a competitor. And now you see what he’s done this year, he can do so many things. He can play inside, he can play outside, he’s a dynamic player and, as you said, has leadership qualities. And during the process, the boys in the class would somehow be told in those strings of text that these guys were going to talk to each other. And he was a big catalyst for this class.”

Perhaps there were more curveballs in recruiting Inniss’s new stablemates. Ohio State was an early favorite to land Tate, the product of IMG Academy and No. 61 overall in the country, but encountered a few obstacles along the way. At one point, much speculation about lucrative NIL opportunities elsewhere led many to believe that Tate would eventually end up in Tennessee. Day even smiled as he discussed the difficulties recruiting Tate on Wednesday.

“Carnell, this has been quite a recruiting process. I thought Brian and everyone there did a great job,” said Day. “But I think he always knew he wanted to be Buckeye too. He has the chance to be an impact player for us.”

Carnell knows what’s going on @carnelltate_ x @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/O2IltsbwTI

— State of Ohio on BTN (@OhioStateOnBTN) December 21, 2022

After signing for Ohio State on June 20, two days before Inniss, the 6-foot-2 wideout reinforced what Day, Hartline and the rest of the country saw in him with a stellar senior season in Florida. Tate hauled in 37 passes for 750 yards and eight points, and also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the preseason.

Day alluded to similar recruiting complications with Rogers, who signed the Buckeyes on the same day as Inniss after a junior season at North Carolina’s Rolesville High School in which he ranked for 1,432 yards and earned 22 points on 70 receptions.

“Noah from down in North Carolina, back from the jump. There were a few twists and turns along the way, but he was pretty loyal and had a great season,” Day said. “I think you’re going to really like him and just his personality and his makeup.”

With a 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame and 37 touchdown catches in his last two years of high school, everything about Rogers suggests Ohio State has another star in the making.

TIED TOGETHER Drafted: Top 50 Prospect Noah Rogers Adds Another National Elite Pass Catcher to Ohio State’s Deep Stable of Wideouts

But Rodgers, the first potential receiver to sign for Ohio State in the Class of 2023, was “a buckeye through and through.” Actually, the Warren, Ohio native narrated Eleven warriors Earlier this year “I’ve been rocking the Ohio State jersey since I was three years old.”

After catching 63 passes for 915 yards and 22 combined touchdowns during his junior and senior seasons at Zephyrhills, Fla., Rodgers will get a chance to really don the scarlet and gray at the top of 2023.

“Bryson had a great season this year. His family has connections up here in Ohio in the Warren area. He jumped on that thing from the start and he’s been a buckeye the whole time,” Day said. “And his loyalty throughout this whole thing has been excellent. I think he will have a really bright future here.”

just a kid from Warren, Ohio. @brianhartline #gobucks pic.twitter.com/1Jj7wUfpmv

— Bryson Rodgers (@IBryson13) June 19, 2022

Even beyond Harrison, Egbuka and Fleming, Ohio State has touted receivers like redshirt freshman Jayden Ballard awaiting more opportunities in 2023. Not to mention the members of the 2022 Recruitment class, which included four other four-star recipients in Kaleb Brown, Kyion Greyes, Caleb Burton and Kojo Antwi.

But if Hartline’s recent results have taught us anything, Inniss, Rogers, Tate and Rodgers will be primed to shine at Ohio State no matter how soon they get their chance.