Brett Ludwiczak
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Wide receiver Carnell Tate is ready to breakout in his sophomore season at Ohio State
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Following a solid first season in Columbus, Tate is hungry for more in 2024.
Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Akron.
Ohio State’s receiver room doesn’t rebuild, it reloads. Gone is Marvin Harrison Jr., who was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Stepping into the leadership role vacated by Harrison is Emeka Egbuka, while Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith look like the next big things at wide receiver for the Buckeyes.
Today we are going to take a look at Tate, who already has one season in Columbus under his belt.
Much like Jeremiah Smith, Tate came to Ohio State with a ton of hype surrounding him. After starting his high school career at Marist High School in Chicago, he moved to IMG Academy for his junior and senior seasons. The five-star prospect didn’t take long to make a name for himself at Ohio State, becoming the first freshman to shed his black stripe in 2023 spring practices.
Heading into his first season at Ohio State, Tate didn’t have to make an immediate impact since the Buckeyes had a number of weapons at wide receiver and tight end. Instead, Tate could focus on familiarizing himself with the Ohio State offense and the way Ryan Day and Brian Hartline wanted things done, while flashing occasionally on the field.
Tate’s Ohio State career started off with a catch in the season opener against Indiana, and the freshman would go on to record at least one catch in 11 of 13 games in 2023. The first touchdown in Tate’s Buckeye career came against Western Kentucky when he hauled in a 28-yard pass from Devin Brown. The score would be the only one of the season for Tate, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have other important moments during the season.
When Egbuka was lost for three games due to injury, Tate would step in and catch seven passes for 114 yards while Egbuka was sidelined. To close out the season, Tate would start in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri. Unfortunately the Ohio State offense was dreadful after Brown was injured early in the game.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25571478/usa_today_21436818.jpg "NCAA Football: Western Kentucky at Ohio State")
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
To some 18 catches might not seem like a lot, but it is actually more than three recent first round draft picks had in their freshman seasons at Ohio State. As true freshmen, Chris Olave had 12 catches, Marvin Harrison Jr. had 11 grabs, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba hauled in 10 passes. Even more impressive about Tate’s freshman season at Ohio State is he did it all with a heavy heart after his mother was murdered last July in Chicago.
After getting his feet wet in his first season in Columbus, now Tate is hungry for more. Tate has been getting rave reviews from his coaches, as Hartline has said Tate has the strongest set of hands among Buckeye wide receivers, while Day says the limit for Tate is through the roof. Along with the high praise, Tate has been compared to wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tee Higgins.
2024 has all the makings of a breakout season for Tate. The sophomore wide receiver will be the beneficiary of defenses paying so much attention to Egbuka and Smith. Also in Tate’s favor is opposing defenses will have to make a tough decision in whether to focus more on trying to slow down Ohio State’s talented receivers or sell out against TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s rushing attack. Opponents won’t be able to cover all of the talent on Ohio State’s offense, which should allow for Tate to have a great sophomore season.
The only thing we ask of Tate is he doesn’t start playing like the Chicago White Sox after signing an NIL deal with the worst team in Major League Baseball.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports
Following a solid first season in Columbus, Tate is hungry for more in 2024.
Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Akron.
Ohio State’s receiver room doesn’t rebuild, it reloads. Gone is Marvin Harrison Jr., who was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Stepping into the leadership role vacated by Harrison is Emeka Egbuka, while Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith look like the next big things at wide receiver for the Buckeyes.
Today we are going to take a look at Tate, who already has one season in Columbus under his belt.
Much like Jeremiah Smith, Tate came to Ohio State with a ton of hype surrounding him. After starting his high school career at Marist High School in Chicago, he moved to IMG Academy for his junior and senior seasons. The five-star prospect didn’t take long to make a name for himself at Ohio State, becoming the first freshman to shed his black stripe in 2023 spring practices.
Heading into his first season at Ohio State, Tate didn’t have to make an immediate impact since the Buckeyes had a number of weapons at wide receiver and tight end. Instead, Tate could focus on familiarizing himself with the Ohio State offense and the way Ryan Day and Brian Hartline wanted things done, while flashing occasionally on the field.
Tate’s Ohio State career started off with a catch in the season opener against Indiana, and the freshman would go on to record at least one catch in 11 of 13 games in 2023. The first touchdown in Tate’s Buckeye career came against Western Kentucky when he hauled in a 28-yard pass from Devin Brown. The score would be the only one of the season for Tate, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have other important moments during the season.
When Egbuka was lost for three games due to injury, Tate would step in and catch seven passes for 114 yards while Egbuka was sidelined. To close out the season, Tate would start in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri. Unfortunately the Ohio State offense was dreadful after Brown was injured early in the game.
To some 18 catches might not seem like a lot, but it is actually more than three recent first round draft picks had in their freshman seasons at Ohio State. As true freshmen, Chris Olave had 12 catches, Marvin Harrison Jr. had 11 grabs, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba hauled in 10 passes. Even more impressive about Tate’s freshman season at Ohio State is he did it all with a heavy heart after his mother was murdered last July in Chicago.
After getting his feet wet in his first season in Columbus, now Tate is hungry for more. Tate has been getting rave reviews from his coaches, as Hartline has said Tate has the strongest set of hands among Buckeye wide receivers, while Day says the limit for Tate is through the roof. Along with the high praise, Tate has been compared to wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tee Higgins.
2024 has all the makings of a breakout season for Tate. The sophomore wide receiver will be the beneficiary of defenses paying so much attention to Egbuka and Smith. Also in Tate’s favor is opposing defenses will have to make a tough decision in whether to focus more on trying to slow down Ohio State’s talented receivers or sell out against TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins in new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s rushing attack. Opponents won’t be able to cover all of the talent on Ohio State’s offense, which should allow for Tate to have a great sophomore season.
The only thing we ask of Tate is he doesn’t start playing like the Chicago White Sox after signing an NIL deal with the worst team in Major League Baseball.
Continue reading...