Things have changed in Brian Hartlilne's room.
Ryan Day's quarterback battle is the story of the offseason, but it's Brian Hartline's room that's sure to provide a big boost to the new signal-caller. With Justin Fields at the helm, the passing game was dominated by Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson as the duo combined for 1,452 of the team's 2,100 receiving yards (nearly 70 percent). Jameson Williams took the third-most snaps among the receivers and finished No. 3 in yardage with just 154 on nine catches.
Most thought the 2021 passing attack was going to feature Wilson, Williams, and several talented youngsters battling for playing time. But Chris Olave's decision to return makes the wide receiver competition all the more interesting. Last week it was announced that Wilson has moved back to the outside after spending his sophomore season in the slot. Sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba now appears to be the top dog to take over the slot role.
These are significant moves for the passing game, and they should shake up the outlook for Jameson Williams in 2021. Now a junior, his first two seasons included 15 catches for 266 yards and three scores. As a pure field-stretcher, he has the track speed that few others in Hartline's room can offer. But with two of the country's best returning and several young players on the move, what sort of role could the veteran from St. Louis have in year No. 3?
I think some people may be focusing a bit too much on the lack of distribution in 2020. Hartline was welcoming in four true freshmen, and the pandemic prevented Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, Gee Scott Jr., and Mookie Cooper from having a typical offseason. Olave and Wilson are both extremely talented, but the two of them getting showered with targets can partially be attributed to the rapport they had already built with Justin Fields.
In speaking with the media this past week, Hartline stated that the Buckeyes will look to get creative to spread the ball around a little bit more. For a player like Jameson Williams, that should be good news assuming the offense will still utilize his big-play potential; even if it's not in the starting role we saw last season. As the spring comes to a close, the general look of the wideout room is coming together as follows:
- Outside: Olave, Wilson, Williams, Fleming, Harrison Jr., Ballard
- Outside/Tight End: Scott Jr.
- Slot: Smith-Njigba, Egbuka, Babb
*Not necessarily in order as Fleming and Babb are battling injuries.
It's never wise to put too much stock into the spring game, but there's no denying that both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka looked the part as high-potential true freshmen. Harrison became the first offensive player from the 2021 class to shed his black stripe back on April 6. Egbuka followed suit just one week later. Harrison caught seven passes yesterday for 49 yards and a score. Egbuka led all receivers with seven catches for 123 yards.
Jameson Williams was targeted four times. He caught one of those passes for 11 yards and had an ugly drop on an opening-drive strike from Jack Miller. Williams has never been a target hog, and that's another reason why the shake-up in the receiver room may not hurt his game all that much. He's a splash-play type of wideout who may just need one or two attempts per game in which he gets behind the opposing secondary. We saw it against Rutgers last season, but the most noteworthy play came in the Sugar Bowl.
TOUCHDOWN BUCKEYES
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) January 2, 2021
Justin Fields throws another great pass deep this time to Jameson Williams for a 45-yard TD.#CFBPlayoff | #SugarBowl pic.twitter.com/N4jbkZ1OzM
Hartline is likely to rotate as many as six or seven receivers. We know how talented the room is, and Jameson Williams spoke highly of the younger wideouts when meeting with the media last week. There's no telling who the new quarterback may lock in on, but the safe assumption is that it will once again be Olave and Wilson doing the lion's share of the work. When it comes to the target distribution, you also have to remember that Ohio State likely has the country's best tight end and there's some pass-catching ability in the running back room as well.
Behind Olave, Wilson, and Smith-Njigba, several guys are fighting for playing time. Most of those players are still young, but the lone veteran of the group is going to have a different role as a third-year player in Columbus. Jameson Williams may not see as much action as he did as a sophomore, but he's bound to get his turn in the rotation as he should still be one of Ohio State's biggest threats in the deep passing game.
