Last season when so many seniors came back for one more year, that stopped some players down the depth chart from getting their chance when they thought that it might be coming for them.
Emeka Egbuka was one of them who came back to return to his role in the slot, but in doing so, Brandon Inniss had another year of sitting behind him. Having been one of the better players on every team throughout his life, not starting for two straight years was unfamiliar to Inniss.
“I’ve never been a backup my whole life, so coming in here it was already like, ‘I have to learn, I have to watch, I have to grow.’ ” Inniss said on Friday. “Then last year, Emeka didn’t know he was going to come back for his fourth year, so I had to wait another year. … (This year) overall, I feel like I’m in a better place, I’m ready to go and I’m a competitor at the end of the day and I want to be on the field at all times.”
He said it might have been tough at times to be patient, but he trusted the process and the plan that wide receivers coach Brian Hartline had for him since Inniss has watched so many pass catchers go through Columbus and excel at the next level.
“I had patience because of the people who are around me,” he said. “They kept my head on. I always knew there was going to be a brighter side here than transferring. The receivers here, you see what they do in the NFL. If you have guys have the same stats from a different school, the guy from Ohio State is going to get picked first because he went to Ohio State.”
Now this year, Inniss has a great opportunity to be the starting slot receiver for the Buckeyes, but he’s also willing to do whatever it takes and play whatever role the team needs to stay on the field.
Inniss said that he has lost some weight, he feels great and that he set many new personal bests in workout over the summer. Hartline knows that if Inniss continues to work like he is, he can be another impressive weapon in the wide receiver room at Ohio State.
“There really is no ceiling. It’s what he limits himself to,” Hartline said. “I expect to see a great leader. I expect a guy who did everything he did last year and then some, add more to it. He’s a guy who can carry a lot of roles and do a lot of things, but you can’t let the execution slip.”
“I’m very excited. I’m ready for the opportunity,” Inniss said. “I’ve stayed down and stayed true to the grind and I’m ready.”
