Jeremiah Smith’s teammate, Brandon Inniss, returned to Columbus in 2026 to finish unfinished business. Despite playing a crucial role as a depth piece in the 2024 title win, the Buckeyes WR wasn’t the No. 1 target of Julian Sayin last season. His low production stats as a slot WR put him under immense criticism. But this season, the senior WR aims to fulfill a personal dream.

“I haven’t yet clipped a thousand yards receiving. That’s a big thing that I want to get done this year,” said Inniss on July 22 during his appearance on The Beat with Austin & Birm. “Me and Julian have grown our connection a lot over the summer. Sitting in meetings with Coach Smith, just talking ball, how can we find different guys to get the ball and then find ways for me to get the ball as well. [2026] is going to be a great year.”

The Buckeye 2025 captain served as a punt returner and even helped with blocking, but he prioritized leadership over receiving stats. He was far from touching the 1000-yard mark, but he now wants to eclipse it. That’s noteworthy given that only 10 OSU players to date have achieved that milestone. Among them, Jeremiah Smith had back-to-back 1000-yard campaigns. He is the only true freshman in OSU history to do that.

Besides Smith, the Buckeye stars who made it possible in their OSU days include David Boston, Terry Glenn, Cris Carter, Garrett Wilson, Parris Campbell, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Emeka Egbuka. Now Inniss wants to join this elite group, but will his track record back this lofty goal for 2026?

Inniss came in as a highly touted prospect but didn’t get a chance to make an immediate impact at OSU. He had to wait two seasons before getting the starting role in 2025. He spent his freshman year developing behind elite WRs like Ebuke and Haarion Jr. That experience helped him in his second season. The sophomore WR served as a safety net for Will Howard, recording 14 receptions.

And even though his snaps increased last year, Inniss was still behind Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate on the depth chart. The wide receiver was targeted 46 times last year. Of which, he caught 36 passes for 271 yards.

Jeremiah Smith was Sayin’s primary target in 2025. This offseason, Inniss has worked to transform his skillset and build a connection with Sayin to make explosive plays, which were lacking in 2025. Interestingly, OSU’s move to hire an OC like Arthur Smith now helps Inniss to make it happen smoothly.

Before paving a path to the NFL, the senior WR seems to attempt all possibilities to increase his draft stock. And a 1000-yard receiving performance could put a feather in his cap.

OSU senior WR’s self-confidence says a lot

Despite having talent, OSU WR Brandon Inniss’ stats do not reflect huge numbers. Throughout his three seasons with the Buckeyes, he flashed potential, but more than anything, his work ethic and leadership stood out to coaches. Yet, Inniss was not satisfied with his performance.

“I mean, there was always more left on the table. That was just my mindset. If I caught every target, then how many catches would I have? That’s kind of what I went with,” said Inniss during his appearance on WBNS 10TV on July 22.

His last season averaged 7.5 yards per reception. That was kind of unexpected from a WR who had a starting role, which led to questions about his ability to maintain OSU’s WR standard. A former OSU assistant coach, Zack Smith, criticized Inniss, stating, “You can tell he’s not very fluid. He didn’t look very flexible when he went up for the ball; he looked stiff-hipped, stiff-backed, stiff everything.”

But for the senior OSU WR, these criticisms are motivation to move forward. “I’m not a guy that’s going to shy away from the critics or anything like that because it doesn’t bother me. I came from South Florida, you know; I’m trash-talking,” he said. “And I kind of look at it as a motivation. I feel like sure, if they say so, I just got to go prove them wrong and prove the ones who believe in me right.”