In the offseason, the Ohio State Buckeyes lost several receivers. Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter, both former five-star recruits, transferred to Notre Dame. Carnell Tate declared early for the draft and was the fourth overall pick. Ryan Day brought in a couple of receivers to help negate those losses.
Devin McCuin was one of those receivers. McCuin transferred in from UTSA. He played three seasons with the Roadrunners, accumulating 1,696 yards and 16 touchdowns during that time period. Now, he is stealing the show while he's practicing with Ohio State.
Devin McCuin was the star of Ohio State's second practice of Fall camp
Reports from the second day of practice show that McCuin was the star of the show. He had several great catches, which is very encouraging for the Buckeyes. With Tate gone, the Buckeyes need to find another receiver to take attention away from Jeremiah Smith.
The star of Ohio State’s second practice of preseason camp: Devin McCuin.
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 7, 2026
UTSA transfer wide receiver hauled in multiple deep balls from Julian Sayin, including a toe-tapper against tight coverage from Dominick Kelly for a touchdown.
Last season was McCuin's best. He had 65 catches for 726 yards and eight touchdowns. In Arthur Smith's offense, McCuin will likely be used in the slot for the majority of his snaps. With his speed, that is the best place to utilize him. They want him to get a lot of yards after the catch.
At six feet tall and 189 pounds, the slot is the best place for him to be, anyway. He's not big enough to jostle cornerbacks on the outside, but he's fast enough to still have deep routes called for him. If he can step up, Ohio State's offense will be in a much better place.
On the outside, Brandon Inniss is battling with Chris Henry Jr. and Kyle Parker. Inniss is the receiver with the second-most returning production from last year, as he had 36 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns last season, which was his most productive season.
Ohio State should get help from the running game
The best way to help the passing game is to have a strong running game. Both Bo Jackson and Isaiah Jackson are healthy now, and West has been getting some rave reviews. Having both of those running backs going at full capacity will open up the play-action game.
Julian Sayin's own running ability will open up the ability for him to find open receivers, as well. He has been working on scrambling since the spring, and he says it's much improved. Smith's playbook involves a lot of players having yards after the catch, so Sayin will need to move around to get guys open.
Yards after the catch is what McCuin excels at. That's why he averaged 11.2 yards per reception a year ago for the Roadrunners. Smith will know exactly how to get McCuin involved, and it seems like he is doing that early on in practice. That needs to continue until another receiver steps up.
A lot of eyes will be on receivers coach Cortez Hankton, as well. With Brian Hartline having a massive amount of success, fans will be eager to see if he can keep the receivers playing at a high level with Hartline now in South Florida.
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