Through the first three games of Ohio State’s 2020 season, the Buckeyes haven’t rotated their wide receivers or spread the ball around as much as they typically have in recent seasons.
Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson have both been on the field for most of Ohio State’s 223 offensive snaps so far this season, with Olave playing 190 and Wilson playing 166. Jameson Williams has also played just over half the snaps (113), but he’s only caught four passes. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has played 67 snaps and caught five passes, but he’s the only other receiver who’s been a regular in the rotation. Julian Fleming, who’s played 32 snaps, is the only other wide receiver who’s caught a pass this year, while Gee Scott Jr. and Kamryn Babb have played 12 snaps but have not yet been targeted this season.
That’s a big difference from the past few years, in which the Buckeyes have had five or six receivers who have all been in the rotation and seen targets week in and week out. As well as Olave and Wilson have played, though, there’s been reason to keep them on the field, as Wilson already has 24 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns while Olave has 18 catches for 288 yards and four touchdowns.
Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline also points to several other factors as to why the other receivers haven’t been on the field as much. He says the pace with which the Buckeyes have run their offense has led to fewer substitutions, while he’s also not as worried about managing his top receivers’ workloads since the regular season has been shortened from 12 to seven games. The Buckeyes have been using two-tight end formations frequently, so they haven’t been in three-receiver sets as often as in previous years. And because the Buckeyes didn’t have a normal offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there weren’t as many opportunities for the team’s less experienced receivers to prove they’re ready for bigger roles.
All of that said, he feels good about the state of his position group right now.
“At the end of the day, we feel pretty good with where we’re at,” Hartline said Wednesday. “There’s a lot that goes in there when it comes to rotation and comes to snaps, but right now, it’s a week-by-week analysis, whether we do get five wideouts in there or one. It all depends on game plan and kind of where we’re at currently.”
Even though Olave and Wilson have had the vast majority of production among Ohio State’s wide receiver unit this year, Hartline says he is encouraged by what he’s seen from the other receivers, as well.
“They’re all stepping up,” Hartline said. “They’re all doing a good job. There’s not necessarily one in particular that needs to do more. We gotta continue to do what we’re doing at a high level, and when the plays come to us, we gotta make the plays. We gotta have competitive excellence, and really, I think we continue to do that. That’s gotta build.”
Even though a majority of his passes have gone to Olave and Wilson so far, Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields said he trusts all of the Buckeyes’ receivers when they’re in the game.
“I feel comfortable with all my receivers, and I feel like we’re all on the same page and they’re all great receivers, or they wouldn’t be at Ohio State,” Fields said Wednesday. “Our job this year is just to do our job and not really worry about who’s getting the ball more … All we want to accomplish this year is just to win each and every game. It’s a team thing, so we’re not trying to really look at individual stats and stuff like that.”
Hartline acknowledged that Ohio State’s other wide receivers are hungry to have more targets come their way, but like Fields, he wants everyone’s focus to be on helping the Buckeyes win. And he believes his players have bought into that.
“I would want every single person, all 15 of us to have 100 catches for 1,500 yards and all be finalists for the Biletnikoff. But that’s probably not realistic,” Hartline said. “I think that every year’s different, and as long as we continue to win in the winning column, put the right numbers in the winning column, everyone’s gonna be just A-OK. So really focusing on that, how do we provide impact, whether it be catching the ball, blocking on the perimeter, special teams and frankly, just having a good attitude and coming in the building and giving us great scout looks sometimes.
“Everyone carries a role, and our job is to be the best at that role. So I think we kind of exemplify that. We’ll continue to build on it. Not saying there’s ever not some frustrations, there always is, we’re athletes. But at the end of the day, we know what’s most important.”
Even though Smith-Njigba is the only one among them who’s played a regular role in the receiver rotation so far, Hartline has been pleased by what he’s seen from the freshman quartet of Smith-Njigba, Fleming, Scott and Mookie Cooper. While they all came into Ohio State as top-100 recruits with huge expectations, he said the expectations for them had to be tempered because of how unusual 2020 has been, but he’s excited about their potential to make an impact as the season progresses and in the future.
“I think that they’re all studs, man,” Hartline said. “I think they’re doing a really good job. I think that their ability to learn multiple spots, like they have, to get in the game, is really hard for a young receiver. There’s a lot of guys who are making a big impact on special teams, those roles will continue to grow. But this is a different kind of year. To expect things to be the same as before would be a poor assumption.
“So these guys are doing a really good job. In my opinion, if I want to be a really, really good receiver, these are some guys that I want to come play with. And these guys keep you very, very, very optimistic when it comes to the receiver room at Ohio State.”
Asked specifically about Fleming’s drop against Rutgers, Hartline said he believes that served as a teachable moment.
“There were some teaching moments earlier in practice that coached up the same technique, and we didn’t take it maybe fully to heart, I would say,” Hartline said. “I think that since then, we have had a much more focused approach when it comes to that technique we’ve spoken about, and hopefully that will continue.”
Brian Hartline likes what he's seeing from Julian Fleming and Ohio State's other freshman receivers even though they haven't seen a lot of playing time yet.
Right now, Hartline says the most important thing for his wide receivers is to continue to focus on getting better every day, whether they’re on offense or special teams and no matter what their role is, and that even includes Olave and Wilson.
“They cannot play Game 8 as they have in Game 3 or we will not be where we want to be,” Hartline said. “So everyone’s a part of that, and we all have to continue to make strides.”
