It sure was a bit hectic, but Ohio State was able to sign 4-star playmaker Legend Bey the way it was supposed to. In a bit of a stunner, Bey flipped back to Tennessee and made things official with the Vols during the Early Signing Period earlier this month.
One-time Ohio State running back entering the transfer portal once again
However, rumors started swirling that he was forced to sign with UT and that his heart was always with the Buckeyes. In the end, Bey was released from his Tennessee signing and he quickly let everyone know he was going to be Columbus-bound after all.
This is a huge win for Ryan Day and it's also made a difference in terms of the recruiting rankings. With Bey now officially locked in with the Big Ten side, Ohio State holds the No. 5 2026 class in the country per 247Sports. A Top 5 class for Day and his staff? You bet.
Ohio State officially ended with the 5th ranked recruiting class in the 2026 cycle pic.twitter.com/ZFQIjktHlh
— Woody (@woodyVSworld) December 22, 2025
Legend Bey has given Ohio State football a Top 5 class for 2026
This is exactly what the Ohio State faithful wanted to see. There was plenty of drama recruiting wise for the program just a few weeks ago, as in addition to Bey potentially being off to Knoxville, Chris Henry Jr. was thinking about playing elsewhere too.
The Brian Hartline news caught everyone by surprise, with the beloved Ohio State OC off to USF to take over as head coach. This clearly had Henry and Bey wondering if they still wanted to suit up for the reigning national champs starting next season.
Despite both having second thoughts, things are now over the line for both Henry and Bey. Henry is ranked a 5-star wideout, while Bey is a 4-star athlete. He'll be able to line up at multiple different positions for Day and with his blazing speed, he's sure to be a key contributor early on during his Buckeye career.
Once next season arrives, we'll see what Bey, Henry and the rest of OSU will be able to get done. Before we start worrying about '26, Bey will be watching his future teammates as they hope to go back-to-back in winning it all. Things will get started for Ohio State with a monster CFP quarterfinals showdown against Miami.