Heading into this season, the Ohio State Buckeyes were expecting to get production from two receivers brought in from the Transfer Portal. They brought in both Devin McCuin and Kyle Parker from the portal to help out Jeremiah Smith after losing five receivers from last year's team.
McCuin is coming off his best game, catching four passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. However, he has largely been ineffective to this point. At least he's been on the field, though. Parker has yet to see action as a Buckeye. That will change this weekend, as Parker will finally be on the field.
Ryan Day says Kyle Parker will play his first game as an Ohio State Buckeye
Ryan Day says that Parker will finally be on the field against Maryland this weekend. It will be the first time that fans get to see him in action. He transferred in from LSU, following Cortez Hankton to Ohio State. Last season, Parker had 31 catches for 330 yards and four touchdowns.
Heading into his first game of action, Parker is hoping to make an impact. However, his impact is likely going to be minimal. Too many other receivers have already earned the trust of Ryan Day. He likely will only get on the field in the second half of the game once Ohio State is in firm control.
Parker is likely going to be lightly used this season. Smith is the best player in college football, and Julian Sayin seems pretty content to throw him the ball as much as possible, even with him being constantly double-teamed. Parker might even have problems climbing over the freshmen who are ahead of him on the depth chart.
Chris Henry Jr. and Brock Boyd are more likely to get reps with the starters than Parker is at this point. If the game is important, Parker is likely going to be on the sidelines for most of it. However, he could surprise people on Saturday and force his way onto the field in more important circumstances.
Ohio State is still searching for a number two receiver
Despite McCuin's success against the Hawkeyes, Ohio State is still searching for a second guy who can help Smith on a more consistent basis. At some point, the Buckeyes are going to need someone who can step up and be a guy Smith can look to throw the ball to in high-pressure situations.
Could that still be McCuin? Sure. Is there a chance Parker rises to the occasion? Why not? The Buckeyes just need to find another guy. Smith has 598 more receiving yards than the next closest guy on the roster. McCuin has the second-most receiving yards on the team with 245. Smith almost had that many last week by himself.
Even if Parker doesn't end up being a big part of the team this season, it will still be nice to see him get on the field. This year can be more of a test run before he comes back next season. 2027 will be harder without Smith on the roster to bail out the offense.
Add us as a preferred source on Google