“Lose again, and you’re done”.

That’s the message the College Football Playoff committee sent to Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes after a sloppy loss to USC on Saturday.

With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Buckeyes are now tasked with proving it’s still the team that bulldozed Iowa and beat Indiana in October, not the one that struggled to cobble together 18 points against a Trojan defense ranked 58th in the country in touchdowns allowed.

The objective is clear: win out. The players who will determine if that objective is successfully completed or not may include some lesser-known names, however, and that doesn’t just mean at quarterback. Several freshmen could see their responsibilities increase quickly as the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes begin to dim.

If Ohio State is going to get back on track, it may need a few young players to make an impact sooner rather than later.

Luke Fahey – QB

This one’s obvious. The freshman signal caller from Mission Viejo, California, was tasked with replacing Heisman candidate Julian Sayin last week and performed relatively well given the circumstances. With Sayin likely to miss the rest of the season, Day now turns to Fahey to provide some much-needed stability under center.

As a three-star recruit out of California, his sudden elevation makes him only the fifth true freshman in Ohio State history to start under center, completely shifting the dynamic of the Buckeyes' championship run.

While Fahey’s role clearly can’t increase any further than that of starting Quarterback, his importance to this season’s success will most definitely continue to rise as the Buckeyes move toward the playoffs. Still, Ohio State doesn’t need Fahey to be Julian Sayin overnight. It needs him to manage the offense, make sound decisions, and give the rest of the roster a chance to do its job.

Chris Henry Jr. – WR

Standing at an imposing 6-foot-5, the highly touted wide receiver possesses an absurd physical frame and an elite catch radius that has already earned him first-team reps. With Chris Henry Jr. sharing the field with established star Jeremiah Smith, the coaching staff is actively designing unique personnel packages to maximize his red-zone mismatch potential down the stretch.

Play-action packages are set up to give him 50-50 jump-ball opportunities, pairing him on the outside where shorter cornerbacks cannot match his vertical reach.

The No. 1-rated wide receiver recruit of the 2026 class is a big play waiting to happen, and the coaching staff knows it. Over six games to start his collegiate career, Henry is averaging 31.5 yards per catch. Taking the small sample size into consideration, this is still massive upside! For comparison, Jeremiah Smith’s YPC this season stands at 17.2, while the NCAA leader is Nahzae Cox of Kansas at 26.9.

And this doesn’t even factor in the non-zero chance that Jeremiah Smith sits out to prepare for the draft at some point this year. Despite rumors being debunked thus far, it remains a possibility the generational talent decides to play it safe if Ohio State’s playoff hopes are extinguished soon, opening the door to CHJ even more.

Legend Bey – ATH

After an arcade-like touchdown run against Ball State to start the season, many Buckeye fans understandably expected the hyperathletic Legend Bey to be a mainstay in Arthur Smith’s offensive plans.

That hasn’t been the case.

Whether due to off-field concerns or a lack of trust from the coaching staff, the former Tennessee commit is yet to carve out a consistent role on this year’s team. That could change, however, as the Buckeyes search for an offensive spark not named Jeremiah Smith.

Bey, an explosive former high school quarterback, has been described by head coach Ryan Day as "lightning in a bottle" due to his game-breaking open-field speed. Despite navigating some early offseason setbacks, his unique skill set is increasingly being utilized in creative slot and gadget roles to give the offense a dynamic change-of-pace weapon.

We know Legend Bey can dance. Now it’s time to see if he can move like that on Saturdays.

With the fate of this year’s team hanging in the balance, it will likely take several players stepping up to save the season.

Ryan Day knows that includes the young guys. “I think the freshmen who have played now need to become, as you said, key contributors.”