Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is one of the best players in all of college football. Given his bloodlines, it makes sense. His is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Super Bowl champion Marvin Harrison Sr., who shattered records with the Indianapolis Colts and quarterback Peyton Manning. While he was doing so, he made sure his son was developing along the way.
“I’ve seen him grow,” Harrison Sr. said in a recent interview with WSYX. “When he was younger, having missed a practice or a game, I used to film the games and then when they were over on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings, we would watch it and just go over it and just go over it very thoroughly with him at a young age. I guess from whenever he could start playing, so seven, eight, nine, 10, we were always watching and just learning. To this day I think he’s always remembered these times when I’ve yelled at him, but I think it has paid off, so.”
The elder Harrison also detailed how he handled things once his son hit high school.
“Once he got to high school, I sort of just stepped back a little bit and just let him be himself,” Harrison Sr. said. “He’s turned into what he is today.”
Harrison Sr.’s tutelage has come a long way. Harrison Jr. was a 2022 Biletnikoff Award finalist and unanimous All-American after hauling in 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns from likely 2023 NFL Draft first-round quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Harrison Jr. did all of this as just a sophomore. He was limited in his opportunities as a freshman, as he played behind a pair of first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. Harrison waited for his turn, though, and it paid off.
“He comes in here every day, every night,” Stroud said of Harrison. “You know if you're in here, Marvin's probably in here. So just the work ethic speaks for itself and it pays off when you put in that work… He's special, man. And you can just tell he'll continue to do great things.”