After navigating the challenges of moving from quarterback to running back and missing time in camp, Legend Bey has earned the coaching staff’s confidence and an opportunity to make an impact Saturday.
While there were some early hurdles, such as a minor injury in the Spring and missing the first two days of Fall Camp for violating team rules, Legend Bey’s response to them ultimately helped earn the trust of Ohio State’s coaching staff, according to Ryan Day.
Bey became a Buckeye, transitioning from quarterback to running back, which forced him to adjust his habits. All of that required him to learn a new position while adapting to the expectations that come with playing in the backfield. Now, when the Buckeyes open the season Saturday against Ball State, Bey is expected to take the first kickoff.
Ryan Day said Bey’s explosiveness played a role in the decision, but his response to adversity was just as important. The coaching staff needed to see that Bey could handle the responsibility that comes with putting the football in his hands, particularly in the return game.
“When the ball’s in your hands, you literally have the hopes and dreams of the entire Buckeye Nation in your hands. It’s a big responsibility,” Day said. “Right now we trust that he’s going to go in the game and take care of the football for us and give an opportunity to be explosive.”
That trust is something Bey had to earn in multiple areas, particularly after making the move from quarterback to running back and after violating team rules. Bey had to change his habits, learn the details of a different position, and embrace a new role within Ohio State’s offense. While early mistakes were part of that process, the coaching staff paid close attention to how he responded.
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
Earning Back Trust
Day said that mistakes themselves are not what concern him, but rather if they are repeated.
“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.”
Bey gave the coaches reason to believe he had moved past those early hurdles, and his explosiveness gave them another reason to put him in a position to impact the game.
There is no shortage of athletic ability for the true freshman. Bey has the explosiveness to create something every time he touches the football, which is part of what made him an intriguing option in the return game. Before Ohio State can benefit from that explosiveness, however, it needs the football secured, and that is where the trust Day has placed in him becomes so important.
The true freshman gets his chance Saturday after missing the start of camp, changing positions, and earning back the coaching staff’s trust. Ohio State is trusting Bey to take care of the football while giving them the kind of field-flipping ability that made him stand out in the first place.
Ryan Day confirms Punt and Kick returners
Punt Returner(s): Inniss, Bell, McCuin
Kick Returner: Legend Bey pic.twitter.com/hYnnXQAbGf— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) September 2, 2026
His first opportunity to return a kickoff will provide an early glimpse at whether he is ready to make the most of it. Ohio State and Ball State will kick off at 12:30 pm on the Big Ten Network.
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Blake Biscardi serves as Co-Founder, Lead Reporter, and Senior Editor of The Silver Bulletin. He hosts the Buckeye Cadence podcast, where he breaks down Ohio State football and basketball with an inside look into the programs. Covering Julian Sayin in New York City in 2025 was his Heisman moment, which became a viral moment in its own right. Biscardi is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and has degrees in Business Administration and Strategic Communication & Leadership.