The Ohio State football program signed most of its 2026 recruiting class a couple of weeks ago during the early signing period. It has now become the preferred signing period for high school recruits, with very few of them deciding to sign in February.
At that time, the Buckeyes had the sixth-best class in the country. While that sounds great, it is the lowest-rated class that Ryan Day has had since his first year as head coach, and that was a transition year between him and Urban Meyer. To have this come off a national title is less than ideal.
Nevertheless, the Ohio State Buckeyes are excited about their class. They can now add one more player to that class, as Legend Bey has officially signed with them after being released from his letter of intent earlier on Tuesday afternoon.
Ohio State football team adds running back recruit Legend Bey
Bey has wanted to be with the Buckeyes all along. While he played quarterback in high school, he will be playing running back with Ohio State. He saw the vision that Day and Carlos Locklyn had for him, and he decided that he wanted to be a part of that.
The only reason that Bey signed with Tennessee anyway is because his mother forced him to. There are rumors that she even forged his signature on the papers. Because he isn't 17 quite yet, he needed his mom to sign off on the papers. He turns 18 next week.
Tennessee clearly didn't want a player on its roster who didn't want to be there. Instead of forcing him to wait until the Transfer Portal window opens, they decided to let him go right now. It's unclear how this will affect his relationship with his family, but he's now a Buckeye.
Bey will have to fight for playing time in the next couple of seasons. Next year's room will be occupied by Bo Jackson and Isaiah West. Bey understands the challenge, and that's why he wants to be in Columbus.