Ohio State Buckeyes receiver Brandon Inniss was supposed to be the third wheel of a "Big Three" in OSU's receiving corps. Thus far, the perception is that there's Jeremiah Smith, then there's Carnell Tate, and then there's the rest of the room.
It makes sense. Smith and Tate each have more than 200 yards receiving. No one else is in the triple digits at all. Inniss ranks No. 6 in yardage on the team and hasn't found the end zone yet through the Buckeyes' first three games.
Cleveland.com's Stefan Krajisnik doesn't see that as a problem. Not only does Krajisnik believe a breakout is coming, but he also believes the stats don't reflect his impact.
"It’s unlikely Ohio State turns to someone else. If the Buckeyes rotated their receivers more during the first three games, I’d be open to the discussion," Krajisnik wrote.
"However, no receivers have played more than 36 snaps outside of Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss. Ohio State is going to stick with Inniss, and part of that goes into the next segment of the answer: he’s playing better than his statistics suggest.
"Inniss has caught five passes for 37 yards, but it was evident during the win against Ohio he’s been open and Sayin has either missed him or already thrown a pass to another available receiver.
"Inniss has been shaky in the punt return game, but it’s not time to panic yet on offense. In fact, in our outrageous predictions this week, I said I anticipate a breakout game for him."
As Cleveland.com's Stephen Means pointed out in August, Brian Hartline doesn't like to rotate his receivers, which meant Inniss, Tate, and Smith were always meant to be the top receivers while Bryson Rodgers, Mylan Graham, and Quincy Porter wait their turn.
"Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss might be the nation’s best receiving corps. Behind them are Bryson Rodgers and Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter, who could be a starting trio for most Big Ten teams. But Hartline hasn’t truly rotated at receiver since 2019, making one think more than likely the top three won’t be coming off the field much," Means wrote.
Smith and Tate have done their parts. An analyst from one of Ohio's biggest publications foresees Inniss doing his part soon enough.