Back in spring practice, the Buckeyes were raving about what Legend Bey was able to do. After he left Tennessee in one of the wildest recruiting sagas in recent memory, Bey showed he was an explosive back with a lot of pop. He was the talk of spring practice until he got hurt.
Since then, it has been nothing but trouble for Bey. He got hurt and wasn't able to participate in the spring game. After that, he was suspended for the first couple of practices for a violation of team rules. His first official practice this Fall was another failure, as well.
Legend Bey struggles in his first Fall practice with Ohio State
Bey struggled in his first practice with the Buckeyes. He was yelled at a few different times by the coaching staff, and even dropped a handoff. It seems that his start with the Buckeyes is a very slow one, and he seems to be tumbling down the depth chart.
Immediate Ohio State practice observations:
— Chase Brown (@chaseabrown__) August 8, 2026
• Legend Bey was back but bottled up
• Jay Timmons continues to rise
• Jeremiah Smith — still good at football
• Ohio State’s kickers have a looong way to go after some missed FGs
• Motion, motion and then some more motion
Bey was already going to be behind Bo Jackson and Isaiah West on the depth chart. Ja'Kobi Jackson, a transfer from Florida, seems to be ahead of him at this point, too. If Bey doesn't turn this thing around in a hurry, he could see himself tumble to the bottom of the depth chart.
That would mean sitting behind Turbo Rodgers, as well. Bey could find himself in Ryan Day's doghouse if he doesn't start turning things around. The good news is that Ohio State has plenty of depth at the running back position, so Bey falling out of the rotation wouldn't hurt them.
Still, the coaching staff mentioned that they had big plans for Bey this season. If he isn't able to handle that, it could take him a couple of years to see the field. It's hard for the four-star recruit to have a worse start to his collegiate career than this.
Ohio State will keep trying to get the best out of Legend Bey
Just because Bey has had some issues in his first few days of camp doesn't mean the Ohio State Buckeyes are giving up on him. They will still coach him up and try to get the best out of him. Jackson was a 1,000-yard rusher last season, so Bey was never going to see 15 snaps a game this year.
It will be up to Carlos Locklyn to be in Bey's ear and make sure that he is in the right headspace to turn these problems around. That is going to be the key to him having a long and successful career with Ohio State, even if he doesn't see the field much as a freshman.
The good news for fans is that the other running backs have looked very good in Arthur Smith's new system. It looks like both Jackson and West are going to see a lot of time in the backfield this year, and it looks like both are capable of carrying the majority of the snaps in the backfield.
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