Legend Bey flashed his talent against Ball State, giving Ohio State more reason to expand his role as he continues to build trust.

The freshman worked with the reserves Saturday against Ball State while Ja’Kobi Jackson and Isaiah West also saw opportunities. Bey brought a different element to the backfield, missing defenders for extra yards and creating plays by finding a crease.

His explosiveness in space stood out. Bey made a defender miss on one run, changing direction from the left side of the field before accelerating toward the opposite corner of the end zone. His movement drew comparisons to former Ohio State quarterback-turned-wide receiver Braxton Miller, whose ability to make defenders miss in space became one of his trademarks.

Bey has the same kind of suddenness, where one cut can change the entire play. Like Miller, Bey was once a quarterback who’s learning a new position, but in Bey’s case, he’s learning to be a running back first. Still, Ryan Day consistently mentions, “you can see the talent” when speaking about Bey.

Ohio State should continue finding ways to get him on the field at running back. While Bey does not need to become the feature back for the Buckeyes, his dangerous playmaking ability needs more opportunities.

Ja’Kobi Jackson and Isaiah West remain in the rotation behind RB1 Bo Jackson, but Bey showed a skill set worth developing with more reps. His ability to evade tackles and create yards on his own gives the Buckeyes another way to attack defenses. But how much responsibility Ohio State gives him is a different question.

Bey’s kick returns against Ball State offered a reminder of where he is in that process. He brought the opening kickoff out of the end zone when a touchback would have given Ohio State better field position. In all likelihood, he was probably running that kick out no matter what.

However, on the following opportunity after Ball State’s lone field goal, he hesitated near the goal line before bringing the ball out, leaving the Buckeyes to start deep in their own territory. Those decisions are part of being a freshman, but they become more important as the competition gets tougher.

Ryan Day on how Legend Bey has rebuilt trust: “He’s worked really hard in practice…the response since then has been much better.”

🗣️ “When the ball’s in your hands, you literally have the hopes and dreams of the entire Buckeye nation.” pic.twitter.com/cTV72Ojiwv

— Blake T. Biscardi (@BlakeBiscardi) September 2, 2026

Bey will have to show he can make the right decision before he gets the chance to make the explosive play. His trust bank has seen a handful of withdrawals and deposits in the few months he’s been on campus, and his performance on Saturday encapsulated it. Bey was suspended during fall camp for violating team rules and had to earn his way back into the coaching staff’s plans.

He has done that through his work, giving Ohio State enough confidence to put him in a position to contribute. One performance doesn’t erase the work still ahead. Every practice rep and decision adds to it. Saturday was another step in that process, but the kick returns showed there is still work to do.

Last week, Ryan Day spoke about the young players getting opportunities to play: “If they make a mistake, okay. If they make the same mistake again, that’s when there’s a problem,” Day said. “There’s going to be mistakes made early on when they go out there. As long as they’re making them at full speed and they don’t continue to repeat those, then that’s a good thing.”

The caveat for Bey is that he repeated a mistake on the kick returns, which Day mentioned in his postgame press conference on Saturday. Given the repeated mistakes, Bey may not return kicks against Texas. His running ability should still earn him a few offensive touches. Instead, I think he will get a few touches because his talent is a weapon for the Buckeyes.

His running ability should keep him in that conversation. Bey has given Day, Arthur Smith, and Carlos Locklyn enough reason to keep putting him on the field. Now he has to show he can handle the moment. But consistency and decision-making will determine how much he plays.

If Bey continues to earn the coaching staff’s trust while bringing the same explosiveness he showed against Ball State, his role should grow. Ohio State has too much speed and playmaking ability in Bey to leave it untouched. Texas will show how much responsibility the coaches are willing to give him in the early stages of his career.

NEXT: Read What Ohio State’s 56-3 Win Over Ball State Taught Us About the Buckeyes’ Offense