An exodus of talent has completely reshaped Ohio State’s famed ‘Zone 6,’ but for new wide receivers coach Cortez Hankton, it’s not a rebuild, but a reload. The Buckeyes hit the portal or run out of eligibility. That turnover has opened the door for the next generation of Buckeye receivers like Chris Henry Jr. and others. And according to new WR coach Cortez Hankton, this year’s group still has the potential to be the best wide receiver corps in the country.

Since taking over the Ohio State wide receiver room back in February, Cortez Hankton has been raving about the blessing of inheriting such a stacked group. The former LSU WR coach recently shared that the talent in Columbus is actually even better than he ever imagined, which is saying a lot considering the Buckeyes’ reputation as ‘Wide Receiver U.’ With week 2 of spring practice already on the play, Hankton shared his opinion on a couple of Buckeyes wideouts.

Cortez Hankton on Chris Henry Jr.

“Talented, but he’s young, right? Like all of the young guys, they have a lot to learn, but he’s done a good job,” Hankton said. “Just trying to get him to truly play at a high level with urgency and playing fast, but he’s so efficient and smooth, and he has length and ball skills. He’s an extremely talented young man. But he still has to improve every single day.”

Every recruiting class, there’s a Buckeye WR who’s destined to carry the WRU torch. This year, it’s Chris Henry Jr., the nation’s top wideout (247Sports). At 6’5″, he already has a reach advantage over pretty much every cornerback in the country. The freshman even got a word of approval from Jeremiah Smith as the “next one up.”

While Hankton says the five-star recruit is still figuring out the offense and learning the playbook, he’s already been making plays in spring drills. Unlike most freshmen who have to wait in line for their dues, he’s actually sharing the reps with the first-team offense. In Arthur Smith’s scheme, perfectly as the “X” receiver (the split end) because of his lanky build.

A good number of analysts believe the son of late NFL star Chris Henry fits in as a Day 1 playmaker rather than a developmental project, just like Jeremiah Smith.

Ohio State’s WRs coach on UTSA transfer Devin McCuin

“Devin, man, one, just a great kid, extremely coachable, wants to be great, but has elite speed. And if you watch his tape, when he gets the ball, he is truly exceptional in terms of accelerating after the catch.”

Ryan Day and the Buckeyes are all about growing talent, especially when it comes to wideouts. For the first time in his eight-year tenure, Ryan Day decided to take a flier on a transfer portal WR in Devin McCuin ( along with Kyle Parker). So far, out of all the wideouts, he is the easiest one for the coaches to work with.

He’s already being labeled the ‘pro’ of the group. The reason the Buckeyes got him is because of his YAC. Once he gets his hands on the ball, he hits a second gear that makes him really dangerous in the open field. Almost 47.1% (342 yards) of his 726 total receiving yards came after the catch.

While he’s mostly playing on the outside right now, he’s athletic enough to slide into the slot if the team needs him there. McCuin could be the guy who can take a quick screen or a bubble pass and pick up a first down all on his own in Smith’s run-heavy scheme. According to the reports, he’s actively competing WR2 gig alongside Brandon Inniss and LSU transfer Kyle Parker.

Cortez Hankton on Brock Boyd

According to a Buckeye insider, Chase Brown, Cortez Hankton has publicly heaped praise, noting Boyd’s football IQ and toughness have helped him “catch the eye of a lot of people.”

Boyd was a late flip from TCU and arrived in Columbus with an insane high school resume. He was Southlake Carroll’s ( same school as Quinn Ewers) all-time leading receiver with 260 catches, 4,186 yards, and 46 touchdowns. However, like many Buckeyes before him, the three-star might have to wait for a season or two before getting his reps on the field.

Ohio State WRs coach on Jeremiah Smith

“I’ve been around guys who work at a high level, who are extremely competitive, but what makes him different, he’s probably the most physically-blessed guy that I’ve coached,” Hankton said of Jeremiah. “To have his length and size, I mean, he’s almost 230 pounds. One day, I was doing a drill with him, and just kind of bumped into him. He damn near ran me over. When you’ve got a guy that’s just a physical freak, and he’s just skilled. I’ll say this plenty of times, it’s truly a blessing to coach him.”

The WR coach also described him as the most “physically blessed” player he has ever coached within just two weeks of spring practice. Despite being the biggest star in all of college football, Hankton said he still yearns to be coached and acts as a “sponge” every day in practice.

The two-time All-American plans to go all-out in year 3 after 2 years of coming short of the Heisman Trophy and Biletnikoff Award. He even put some more muscle on his already lean-muscle body. Some observers noted during the first spring practice that Smith looks even “bigger and stronger” than he did a year ago.

End of the day, the 2026 WR room is undergoing a recalibration, if anything. With a new offensive coordinator and a massive influx of 51 new players across the whole roster, after hearing what Cortez had to say, the safe bet is that Zone 6 remains the most stable and dangerous unit on the team.