Michael Citro
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What is the ceiling for Ohio State’s wide receivers?
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Each wide receiver class under Brian Hartline seems to unlock a new level of talent.
Ohio State’s embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position has become cliché at this point. Whether an unheralded recruit like Chris Olave or a highly prized one like Carnell Tate, the Buckeyes always find talent at the position.
That has almost always been the case, but Brian Hartline has elevated Ohio State’s ability to attract top national wideouts to unprecedented heights. It’s gotten to the point where it’s more surprising when a top receiver doesn’t opt to attend Ohio State, but there are a few.
Whether they are unwilling to compete against the best of the best or simply secure better NIL deals elsewhere, there are some who take their talents to other schools. In that rare occurence, Hartline simply finds another gem to take that recruit’s place.
The old timers among us may have grown up watching the OG stud, Paul Warfield (on black-and-white televisions, no doubt), while those around my age grew up watching Doug Donley, Gary Williams, Mike Lanese, and Cris Carter. Others had the pleasure of discovering the Buckeyes while Joey Galloway or David Boston or Terry Glenn were torturing Big Ten defenses. A little later, it was Ted Ginn Jr., Santonio Holmes, and Michael Jenkins.
To summarize, Ohio State has had ridiculous wideouts for many years. Even some of the second receivers who didn’t excel at the NFL level were outstanding college players.
As good as the school’s wide receiver history has been, the recent times have seen a whole new level. It begs the question: How high is the ceiling at Ohio State?
Olave burst onto the scene late in his freshman season and went on to a stellar OSU career. This coincided on the timeline with Hartline becoming Ohio State’s wide receivers coach. While Olave may have had the talent all along, Hartline helped him develop into a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in 2022.
Olave was joined at Ohio State by an even better teammate in Garrett Wilson. The two of them terrorized defensive coordinators on Ohio State’s schedule, and Wilson went to the New York Jets one pick higher than Olave went to the Saints in the 2022 NFL Draft, and edged out his college teammate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (Olave finished fourth, despite having similar numbers in two fewer games played).
The short-lived nickname of Earth, Wind & Fire surfaced to describe Olave, Wilson, and younger teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both Olave and Wilson declared that Smith-Njigba was the best receiver of the three. Indeed, Smith-Njigba’s performance seemed to prove their point.
Smith-Njigba finished with more receptions and yards than his teammates in 2021, although both Olave and Wilson recorded more touchdowns. But the real proof seemed to be the 2022 Rose Bowl. Smith-Njigba set an Ohio State record, a new high mark for any bowl game, and an FBS receiving record with 347 yards on 15 receptions, averaging more than 23 yards per catch in a wild win over Utah. The rising star was on pace to rewrite the OSU record books at the position.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a celebratory final season at Ohio State for Smith-Njigba was marred by injuries. The Dallas native was limited to just three games and five receptions in 2022, and still managed to be the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, going to the Seattle Seahawks.
But a funny thing happened while Smith-Njigba was sidelined for much of 2022. Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka showed the nation that Ohio State’s starting wide receiver tandem wasn’t interested in taking steps backward.
Harrison, who had his coming out party in that 2022 Rose Bowl with six catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns, led Ohio State with 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Egbuka was hot on his tail, catching 74 balls for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns of his own.
Like Smith-Njigba in 2022, Egbuka was slowed by injuries last season, cutting his receptions by almost half and his yards and touchdowns by more than half. Saddled with Ohio State’s first year starting quarterback and an unusually poor passing season under Ryan Day, Harrison managed 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 more touchdowns — despite everyone in the stadium knowing he was getting the ball whenever possible when Kyle McCord dropped back to throw.
Harrison was a Heisman Trophy finalist, and is about to make a lot of money as a high, first-round pick next month.
While Ohio State was struggling offensively in 2023, Carnell Tate found a way to leave his mark on the program as a freshman wide receiver. Tate caught 18 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown — not eye-popping numbers, but for a freshman at Ohio State, that’s not bad. Tate figures to have an expanded role in 2024, and Egbuka returns to try to build on his legacy and lead Ohio State to a championship, while improving his own future draft stock.
And despite Tate’s obvious talent, there is a new name already on every Ohio State fan’s lips when it comes to wide receivers — Jeremiah Smith.
Smith, the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class per 247Sports, has been turning heads the last couple of seasons at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, Florida. But perhaps even more eye-catching was the fact that he has already set a new record at Ohio State.
On March 21, Smith had the black stripe removed from his helmet after only four spring practices. It was the fastest any freshman has lost his black stripe in spring practice. The guy whose record he broke is Tate, someone he’ll likely be on the field with a lot this fall.
It remains to be seen what kind of college careers Tate and Smith will have. However, what Hartline has done to the position group borders on the absurd. Presumably, there is a ceiling for how impressive Ohio States receivers’ room can be. Have we reached that ceiling yet?
No one can say. But every time it seems as if there’s no way to top it, Hartline somehow does. Whether that’s because he just keeps landing better talent, has himself developed as a coach with the ability to better unlock it, or a combination of the two is unknowable.
It will be fun watching the Tate and Smith show to see where they end up on Ohio State’s list of all-time greats. It seems premature — and maybe even a bit arrogant — to even use the phrase “all-time greats” when discussing a true freshman and a true sophomore, but that is what Ohio State’s success at the position dictates.
For now, it’s wise to just enjoy the ride and see where it goes.
Continue reading...
Michael Citro via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
Each wide receiver class under Brian Hartline seems to unlock a new level of talent.
Ohio State’s embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position has become cliché at this point. Whether an unheralded recruit like Chris Olave or a highly prized one like Carnell Tate, the Buckeyes always find talent at the position.
That has almost always been the case, but Brian Hartline has elevated Ohio State’s ability to attract top national wideouts to unprecedented heights. It’s gotten to the point where it’s more surprising when a top receiver doesn’t opt to attend Ohio State, but there are a few.
Whether they are unwilling to compete against the best of the best or simply secure better NIL deals elsewhere, there are some who take their talents to other schools. In that rare occurence, Hartline simply finds another gem to take that recruit’s place.
The old timers among us may have grown up watching the OG stud, Paul Warfield (on black-and-white televisions, no doubt), while those around my age grew up watching Doug Donley, Gary Williams, Mike Lanese, and Cris Carter. Others had the pleasure of discovering the Buckeyes while Joey Galloway or David Boston or Terry Glenn were torturing Big Ten defenses. A little later, it was Ted Ginn Jr., Santonio Holmes, and Michael Jenkins.
To summarize, Ohio State has had ridiculous wideouts for many years. Even some of the second receivers who didn’t excel at the NFL level were outstanding college players.
As good as the school’s wide receiver history has been, the recent times have seen a whole new level. It begs the question: How high is the ceiling at Ohio State?
Olave burst onto the scene late in his freshman season and went on to a stellar OSU career. This coincided on the timeline with Hartline becoming Ohio State’s wide receivers coach. While Olave may have had the talent all along, Hartline helped him develop into a first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in 2022.
Olave was joined at Ohio State by an even better teammate in Garrett Wilson. The two of them terrorized defensive coordinators on Ohio State’s schedule, and Wilson went to the New York Jets one pick higher than Olave went to the Saints in the 2022 NFL Draft, and edged out his college teammate for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (Olave finished fourth, despite having similar numbers in two fewer games played).
The short-lived nickname of Earth, Wind & Fire surfaced to describe Olave, Wilson, and younger teammate Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both Olave and Wilson declared that Smith-Njigba was the best receiver of the three. Indeed, Smith-Njigba’s performance seemed to prove their point.
Smith-Njigba finished with more receptions and yards than his teammates in 2021, although both Olave and Wilson recorded more touchdowns. But the real proof seemed to be the 2022 Rose Bowl. Smith-Njigba set an Ohio State record, a new high mark for any bowl game, and an FBS receiving record with 347 yards on 15 receptions, averaging more than 23 yards per catch in a wild win over Utah. The rising star was on pace to rewrite the OSU record books at the position.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a celebratory final season at Ohio State for Smith-Njigba was marred by injuries. The Dallas native was limited to just three games and five receptions in 2022, and still managed to be the No. 20 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, going to the Seattle Seahawks.
But a funny thing happened while Smith-Njigba was sidelined for much of 2022. Marvin Harrison Jr., and Emeka Egbuka showed the nation that Ohio State’s starting wide receiver tandem wasn’t interested in taking steps backward.
Harrison, who had his coming out party in that 2022 Rose Bowl with six catches for 71 yards and three touchdowns, led Ohio State with 77 receptions for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. Egbuka was hot on his tail, catching 74 balls for 1,151 yards and 10 touchdowns of his own.
Like Smith-Njigba in 2022, Egbuka was slowed by injuries last season, cutting his receptions by almost half and his yards and touchdowns by more than half. Saddled with Ohio State’s first year starting quarterback and an unusually poor passing season under Ryan Day, Harrison managed 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 more touchdowns — despite everyone in the stadium knowing he was getting the ball whenever possible when Kyle McCord dropped back to throw.
Harrison was a Heisman Trophy finalist, and is about to make a lot of money as a high, first-round pick next month.
While Ohio State was struggling offensively in 2023, Carnell Tate found a way to leave his mark on the program as a freshman wide receiver. Tate caught 18 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown — not eye-popping numbers, but for a freshman at Ohio State, that’s not bad. Tate figures to have an expanded role in 2024, and Egbuka returns to try to build on his legacy and lead Ohio State to a championship, while improving his own future draft stock.
And despite Tate’s obvious talent, there is a new name already on every Ohio State fan’s lips when it comes to wide receivers — Jeremiah Smith.
Smith, the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 class per 247Sports, has been turning heads the last couple of seasons at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, Florida. But perhaps even more eye-catching was the fact that he has already set a new record at Ohio State.
On March 21, Smith had the black stripe removed from his helmet after only four spring practices. It was the fastest any freshman has lost his black stripe in spring practice. The guy whose record he broke is Tate, someone he’ll likely be on the field with a lot this fall.
It remains to be seen what kind of college careers Tate and Smith will have. However, what Hartline has done to the position group borders on the absurd. Presumably, there is a ceiling for how impressive Ohio States receivers’ room can be. Have we reached that ceiling yet?
No one can say. But every time it seems as if there’s no way to top it, Hartline somehow does. Whether that’s because he just keeps landing better talent, has himself developed as a coach with the ability to better unlock it, or a combination of the two is unknowable.
It will be fun watching the Tate and Smith show to see where they end up on Ohio State’s list of all-time greats. It seems premature — and maybe even a bit arrogant — to even use the phrase “all-time greats” when discussing a true freshman and a true sophomore, but that is what Ohio State’s success at the position dictates.
For now, it’s wise to just enjoy the ride and see where it goes.
Continue reading...