Brandon Inniss ready for his chance in Ohio State offense: ‘OK, now it’s time to go’

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Brandon Inniss watched Chip Kelly’s offenses when he coached the Philadelphia Eagles and the Oregon Ducks.

Inniss liked what he saw then, but now at Ohio State, he’s even more excited about playing in that offense.

“Those offenses were crazy,” Inniss said. “I’m just happy to be part of it.”

The truth is that Inniss is going to be more than just part of the offense. While much of the preseason talk has been about the returning Emeka Egbuka or Carnell Tate and five-star freshman Jeremiah Smith, Inniss has the potential to be one of Ohio State’s most versatile offensive chess pieces.

Before Inniss, a five-star prospect in his own right and the top-ranked player in Ohio State’s 2023 class, could even imagine that role, he had to earn the respect of his peers. In many cases, the way players earn respect is by what they do on the field.

But Inniss didn’t get that chance.

Unlike Tate, who was also part of the 2023 class and arrived during the spring, Inniss got to campus in the summer last year. Everything was an adjustment, from learning the playbook and the program to catching up to the speed of college football.

Brandon Inniss (11) had one catch in 2023. (Adam Cairns / USA Today)

Two things always resonated with people in the program: his work ethic and leadership behind the scenes.

And now, after gaining respect from his peers, including Egbuka, who has raved about Inniss and Tate since they arrived on campus, Inniss is poised to get his big role.

“He comes in with a fiery competitive nature and puts in the hard work day in and day out,” Egbuka said. “Even though he hasn’t stepped onto the field yet, we have no concern that when he does he’s going to make a great impact.”

Inniss caught one pass last season, and it was an impressive one.

It was the fourth quarter of a blowout win against Purdue when he lined up in the slot with Devin Brown at quarterback. Inniss had a nice outside release, Brown hit him, and Inniss could’ve gone down or tried to outrun the defensive back, but he stopped, cut inside, beat the defender and scored on a 58-yard connection.

In an otherwise uneventful game, that play looked like the arrival of Inniss, who for much of the last year was the darling of the Ohio State fan base. He was the new shiny five-star toy every fan couldn’t wait to see in action.

Due to Ohio State’s talent at receiver last year with Marvin Harrison Jr., Tate, Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson, it was hard for Inniss to break into the rotation. But with Harrison, Fleming and Johnson gone, this offseason has been Inniss’ time. Then he was hit with a setback in the spring, injuring his foot three days into practice.

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The decision was made to sit him and allow him to get healthy. The realization that he was going to have to sit more was hard for Inniss, but he didn’t shut down.

“It was hard, but there was a quote that I read, it was like, ‘You’ll be thrown a bunch of battles, but how you overcome it is what will define you,’” Inniss said. “Ever since I read that, I was like, ‘OK, now it’s time to go.’”

One thing that’s noticeable right away is Inniss’ energy. The South Florida product grew up with trash talkers and doesn’t hesitate to bring it now. But even more than the trash talk, he plays with an intensity and a physicality some might not expect for a 6-foot-0 and 203-pound player.

It’s why coach Ryan Day said you can “feel” Inniss when he’s on the field. His energy was something Inniss thought Ohio State was missing last year and after rewatching the team’s loss to Michigan during the offseason, he wasn’t going to let another year go without bringing it.

So even though he couldn’t play in the spring, he spent the offseason getting healthy with his trainer and putting in time to set an example for the rest of his teammates. His work didn’t go unnoticed. He was named to Ohio State’s leadership committee, a position that is voted on by his peers.

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Despite not making a real impact on the field yet and being at Ohio State for one calendar year, Inniss is looked at as a leader.

“It’s his ability to talk a good game and back it up in a sense of, ‘We’re going to be the hardest working team on the field, we’re going to go in day in and day, and I’m going to beat you even when I don’t feel healthy,’” Egbuka said. “It’s all a mentality.”

That translates perfectly to the field and the role Inniss will play this year. Inniss has played just about every skill position during his career. He has been a quarterback, a receiver and a running back.

His ability to play multiple positions will come in handy for an Ohio State team that is going to be multiple with its personnel but is lacking depth at running back. Inniss has worked primarily in the slot in the preseaosn, but with just two scholarship running backs with college experience, Inniss could get some snaps in the backfield.

If asked, Inniss is all for it.

“Whatever has to be done to get the W, I’ll do it,” Inniss said.

Even if he’s not in the backfield, there’s a role similar to how Ohio State used Egbuka in 2022, where Inniss could be used in a variety of ways to get the ball in his hands. Even Egbuka can see it.

While Harrison is gone, there’s still a lot of firepower on Ohio State’s offense, and Inniss is primed to benefit from Kelly’s ingenuity as a play caller.

“We try to put him in situations where he can be the most successful and the position that makes him the most successful is just the ball in his hands,” Egbuka said.

(Top photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)