Ohio State has Jeremiah Smith. After him, the Buckeyes have a problem: nobody has locked down the next reliable receiving role. Brandon Inniss and five-star freshman Chris Henry Jr. entered the season with the bigger names and bigger expectations, but former Super Bowl champion and Big Ten Network analyst Howard Griffith is looking past both of them.

Griffith’s surprise pick is three-star freshman Brock Boyd, an overlooked recruit now pushing to become Ohio State’s next real weapon.

“What’s going to be fascinating about this offense is who’s going to be the number three, who’s going to be the number four to step up and take that pressure off,” Howard Griffith said. “Brock Boyd, the true freshman, who I think is going to have an unbelievable career at Ohio State, is going to have opportunities.”

The praise stands out because when Boyd officially signed with Ohio State on Dec. 3, 2025, he was one of the least-hyped receivers in the Buckeyes’ 27-man class. The Southlake Carroll product was still a three-star prospect, ranked No. 601 nationally and No. 84 among wide receivers, far behind the blue-chip names around him.

However, what most people missed was Boyd’s track record. He finished his senior season with 75 catches for 1,145 yards and 15 touchdowns after exploding for 111 receptions, 1,875 yards and 19 scores as a junior. That junior year, he also helped Southlake Carroll go 15-1 and reach the Texas state championship game.

And Boyd would not be the first overlooked three-star receiver to make recruiting rankings look foolish at Ohio State.

Chris Olave arrived in Columbus in 2018 ranked just No. 399 nationally and No. 68 among wide receivers, buried in a Buckeyes class that featured three five-star prospects and 20 four-stars. Yet Olave became the biggest star of that class, finishing his Ohio State career with a school-record 35 touchdown catches, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors twice and first-team All-American recognition. He then became the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, making him a perfect reminder that a three-star label does not always tell the full story.

Those numbers help explain why Griffith is puzzled by Boyd’s recruiting ranking.

“I don’t understand how he was a three-star recruit,” Dave Revsine chimed in and said. “You’d say, ‘Well, he’s under the radar.’ No, you said Southlake Carroll, no, everyone’s watching.”

Boyd was originally committed to TCU before flipping to Ohio State in April 2025. Even then, the recruiting services were hardly sold on him, with 247Sports ranking him just the No. 58 wide receiver and No. 374 overall prospect in the 2026 class.

If Boyd’s recruiting ranking made people question whether he could translate his game to college, his first few months in Columbus have started answering that.

The Southlake Carroll product became the first Ohio State freshman to lose his black stripe in the spring of 2026, needing just six practices. Chris Henry Jr., the five-star name who arrived with far more hype, needed 13.

Boyd’s six-practice mark was the third-fastest by a freshman since Ohio State introduced the black-stripe tradition in 2012, trailing only Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate.

Griffith also sees Ohio State’s offense working in Boyd’s favor. With playmakers around him and a quarterback who reads defenses quickly, extends plays and pushes the ball downfield, Boyd should get plenty of chances to make an impact.

Jeremiah Smith has already given Boyd a nickname that says plenty about what stands out most: “White Lightning.” On The Triple Option, Smith said Boyd earned it because of his speed, adding that he is also a smart player who knows exactly what he is doing. Smith stopped short of calling Boyd faster than himself, but admitted, “he can run for sure.”

Smith laughed and admitted he would not call Boyd faster than himself, but said the freshman “can run for sure.” That speed has also been showing up in practice, where veteran cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. has taken notice. “Brock, he’s different. I don’t know. It’s something about Brock. He’s different. I love Brock,” Mathews said.

And the praise has not stopped with Smith and Mathews. Brandon Inniss called Boyd “cold” and said he is “probably the smartest freshman I’ve ever seen.” Jeremiah Smith has even said Boyd’s first spring reminded him of his own freshman year, a comparison that carries plenty of weight in Columbus.

More importantly, Boyd is starting to turn that praise into actual opportunity. During fall camp, he worked with both the first-and second-team offenses and even fielded punts, giving Ohio State another reason to keep finding ways to get him on the field.

Head coach Ryan Day has been raining praise on the young wideout making the cut this year.

Ryan Day sees the vision too

“He’s got really good body language in and out of breaks. He’s smart, knows how to run routes. He can play multiple positions… I think as he continues to work this week, he’s going to find himself playing a lot this year,” Ryan Day said this off-season.

As for his role this year, Ohio State plans to rotate six receivers, and Boyd has already pushed his way into that group. Veteran LSU transfer Kyle Parker, now a senior, also missed time during fall camp with an injury, leaving another opening for Boyd to earn reps. Parker spent the previous three seasons at LSU before joining Ohio State.

That still does not guarantee Boyd a major role.

Parker remains part of the competition, while Boyd has been working his way into the mix behind Ohio State’s established receivers. Earlier camp reporting had Parker sidelined by injury while Boyd continued pushing for playing time.

And nationally, Boyd is still chasing the hype surrounding Chris Henry Jr. 247Sports put Henry on its 2026 Preseason True Freshman All-America offense, while fellow Buckeye Jay Timmons made the defensive team. Boyd was left off.

That contrast only sharpens his underdog story: the five-star still owns the preseason recognition, while the three-star keeps forcing his name into the conversation in Columbus.

To go from the lowest-ranked guy in a loaded recruiting class to a major rotational weapon for a national championship contender is an unreal rise.

Everyone around the program is excited about the receiver the Buckeyes have, and fans cannot wait to see “White Lightning” show off his route-running once the games begin.