Four-Star Offensive Playmaker Legend Bey Announces He Will Sign with Ohio State After Securing Release from Scholarship Agreement with Tennessee
Four-star running back/wide receiver Legend Bey, who was committed to Ohio State before signing with Tennessee earlier this month, announced Tuesday that he would sign with the Buckeyes after requesting and receiving his release from his scholarship agreement with Tennessee.
While Bey signed with Tennessee on signing day, it quickly became apparent that Bey didn’t actually want to be a Volunteer. According to multiple reports, Bey was coerced into signing with Tennessee by family members. Bey’s mother refused to sign off on Bey signing with the Buckeyes, and Rivals’ Keegan Pope reported that “sources close to the situation have cast doubt about whether it was Bey or someone else who signed the paperwork that was ultimately sent to Tennessee.”
In a quickly deleted tweet one day after his signing, Bey indicated that his mother and older brother would not allow him to sign with the school he wanted to.
It became even more apparent last week that Bey still wanted to be a Buckeye when he posted pictures of himself wearing Ohio State apparel on his Instagram account, captioning his post “Imma do my own thing.”
While Bey couldn’t sign with Ohio State without a parent’s approval during the early signing period, as he was only 17 at the time, he’s set to turn 18 on Dec. 24. He cannot officially sign with Ohio State right now, because the early signing period is over, but he’s expected to enroll at OSU in January.
Bey will add an explosive and versatile offensive weapon to Ohio State’s 2026 freshman class. Listed as an athlete by recruiting services, Bey played quarterback at North Forney (Texas) High School but is expected to play running back at Ohio State, with the versatility to also play wide receiver.
Bey, who’s been clocked at 4.33 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 10.23 seconds in the 100-meter dash, is ranked as the No. 175 overall prospect in the 247Sports composite for the 2026 class.
Bey joins a class that includes one running back (four-star prospect Favour Akih) and four wide receivers (five-star Chris Henry Jr., four-stars Jerquaden Guilford and Jaeden Ricketts and three-star Brock Boyd) among 27 other signees.
| Pos | Name | Rating | Rank | Size | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | CHRIS HENRY JR. | ★★★★★ | #10 NATL | #1 WR | 6-5 | 205 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) |
| DE | KHARY WILDER | ★★★★ | #42 NATL | #2 DL | 6-4 | 260 | Junipero Serra (Gardena, California) |
| LB | CINCERE JOHNSON | ★★★★ | #50 NATL | #3 LB | 6-3 | 222 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| OT | SAM GREER | ★★★★ | #51 NATL | #6 OT | 6-8 | 315 | Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) |
| CB | JAY TIMMONS | ★★★★ | #64 NATL | #7 CB | 5-11 | 185 | Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pennsylvania) |
| S | BLAINE BRADFORD | ★★★★ | #71 NATL | #7 S | 6-1 | 207 | Catholic (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) |
| CB | JORDAN THOMAS | ★★★★ | #123 NATL | #15 CB | 6-1 | 185 | Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey) |
| WR | JERQUADEN GUILFORD | ★★★★ | #137 NATL | #22 WR | 6-3 | 190 | Northrop (Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
| OL | MAXWELL RILEY | ★★★★ | #171 NATL | #7 IOL | 6-5 | 280 | Avon Lake (Avon Lake, Ohio) |
| ATH | LEGEND BEY | ★★★★ | #175 NATL | #9 ATH | 5-11 | 175 | North Forney (Forney, Texas) |
| S | SIMEON CALDWELL | ★★★★ | #186 NATL | #10 LB | 6-3 | 185 | The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida) |
| DT | DAMARI SIMEON | ★★★★ | #194 NATL | #22 DL | 6-3 | 275 | St. Augustine Prep (Richland, New Jersey) |
| RB | FAVOUR AKIH | ★★★★ | #244 NATL | #17 RB | 6-0 | 190 | Rutherford B Hayes (Delaware, Ohio) |
| DT | EMANUEL RUFFIN | ★★★★ | #247 NATL | #29 DL | 6-4 | 295 | Bessemer City (Bessemer, Alabama) |
| LB | CJ SANNA | ★★★★ | #252 NATL| #15 LB | 6-3 | 225 | Olentangy (Lewis Center, Ohio) |
| LB | BRAXTON REMBERT | ★★★★ | #358 NATL | #22 LB | 6-5 | 200 | Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia) |
| DE | DRE QUINN | ★★★★ | #365 NATL | #36 EDGE | 6-4 | 228 | Buford (Buford, Georgia) |
| S | KHMARI BING | ★★★★ | #395 NATL | #35 CB | 6-0 | 190 | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) |
| WR | JAEDEN RICKETTS | ★★★★ | #424 NATL | #62 WR | 6-0 | 187 | Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio) |
| TE | NICK LAUTAR | ★★★ | #543 NATL | #29 TE | 6-5 | 230 | Lebanon (Lebanon, Ohio) |
| S | KADEN GEBHARDT | ★★★ | #547 NATL | #44 S | 6-2 | 200 | Olentangy (Lewis Center, Ohio) |
| OL | TUCKER SMITH | ★★★ | #574 NATL | #45 IOL | 6-5 | 280 | Sandra Day O’Connor (Phoenix, Arizona) |
| DL | DARRYUS MCKINLEY | ★★★ | #602 NATL | #72 DL | 6-3 | 270 | Acadiana (Lafayette, Louisiana) |
| WR | BROCK BOYD | ★★★ | #602 NATL | #84 WR | 6-1 | 180 | Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) |
| QB | LUKE FAHEY | ★★★ | #631 NATL | #37 QB | 6-0 | 185 | Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, California) |
| DT | JAMIR PEREZ | ★★★ | #772 NATL | #86 DL | 6-4 | 360 | Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) |
| OT | LANDRY BREDE | ★★★ | #864 NATL | #77 OT | 6-5 | 280 | Mentor (Mentor, Ohio) |
| OL | MASON WILHELM | ★★★ | #1007 NATL | #81 IOL | 6-4 | 285 | St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) |
| Prospect Rating Data: 247Sports Composite |
Bey is expected to be the final addition to Ohio State’s 2026 high school recruiting class, which is now ranked as the fifth-best class in the country behind only USC, Alabama, Oregon and Notre Dame. It’s Ohio State’s seventh straight top-five national recruiting class, the second-longest streak in the country behind only Alabama’s streak of 19 years.
Bey originally committed to Tennessee in June, but flipped his commitment to Ohio State in November after making an official visit for the Buckeyes’ win over Penn State. During his signing event at North Forney High School on Dec. 4, Bey indicated that he planned to sign with Ohio State before signing with Tennessee later that day.
Now, Bey will be a Buckeye after all.
