Binjimen Victor isn’t the only Ohio State wide receiver who will see more playing time for the remainder of this season as a result of Austin Mack being sidelined by foot surgery.
Victor, who Urban Meyer singled out Monday as the Buckeyes’ most improved player from the summer until now, is expected to start at X receiver in place of Mack on Saturday against Nebraska. That said, Meyer said Wednesday that Terry McLaurin, who is typically Ohio State’s starting Z receiver, will also see playing time at the X position on Saturday.
True freshman Chris Olave, meanwhile, is set to join the Buckeyes’ six-man receiver rotation at the Z position, where he will rotate with Johnnie Dixon. Parris Campbell – who typically rotates with K.J. Hill at the H-back position – could also see playing time at one of the outside receiver spots, Meyer said.
For McLaurin, who says he still expects to see some playing time at the Z position as well, it shouldn’t be a drastic adjustment. The Z and X positions are “very similar,” Meyer said Wednesday, and Ohio State expects its receivers to know how to play every receiver position, so McLaurin will be prepared for whatever role his coaches decide to use him in.
“I’ve always prided myself on knowing the entire offense,” McLaurin said. “Even toward the tail end of Purdue, when Austin couldn’t play, I was playing X. So I’m comfortable at that position as well, and I know I’m going to get a lot of reps at that, but if they need me to come over at Z, then I’ll be able to do that.”
There’s a bigger difference between playing in the slot, where Campbell typically lines up as an H-back, and playing outside, but Campbell feels prepared to play any receiver position, too.
“It’s not really an adjustment,” Campbell said. “I played a little bit of an outside receiver when I first got here, so I know the entire playbook. So it’s kind of an easy switch, honestly. Whatever the team needs.”
The unknown in the group is Olave, who has played in only three games on offense this year (and none of the last four games) and has caught just two passes for 19 yards. But the three-star recruit from San Marcos, California, has been making an impression on his veteran teammates since preseason camp, so they’re not surprised that he has worked his way into the rotation now.
“I feel like he’s been ready, to be honest, since he’s stepped on campus and performed the way he did in camp,” McLaurin said. “Coach Meyer didn’t really get to see that (since he was away from the team during camp), so that was different. Coach Meyer kind of had to get acclimated to whether he was a tough guy and could he make plays on a consistent basis when he got back. But as far as Coach Day and Coach Hartline and the other receivers, we’ve always had confidence in Chris.”
Chris Olave has made an early impression on his Ohio State teammates as a true freshman.
That’s not just lip service now that Olave is in the rotation; Johnnie Dixon previously said in August that Olave came in more ready to play than any other receiver he had seen in his five years at Ohio State.
“I think he was better than me, Parris and Terry just coming in right away,” Dixon said. “I haven’t seen a guy come in like that yet. (Victor) had it a little bit in him, but Chris was a dude that turned everybody’s heads … From day one, he jumped in, you could tell that he could play.”
Campbell said Wednesday that Olave is a player who “is living up to the standard right now.”
“He practices hard,” Campbell said. “Great practice player, makes plays. Able to track a deep ball very well. Great hands, great speed. So I mean, he’s just been working ever since he got here. And right now, he’s playing up to the standard. So there’s no doubt that when he gets into the game, there’s going to be no drop-off.”
“I feel like he’s been ready, to be honest, since he’s stepped on campus and performed the way he did in camp.”– Terry McLaurin on Chris Olave
One other receiver who was not named by Meyer on Wednesday, but could be a candidate to see playing time at X receiver with Mack out, is sophomore Jaylen Harris. That might not happen this week, but Harris has made an impression on the veterans with his improvement in practice, too. Even though he has only played in four games (including six snaps at Purdue) and caught only two passes for 22 yards, McLaurin and Campbell believe he can still make an impact this season.
“I’m always on Jaylen to be ready,” McLaurin said. “I’ve been here for awhile, so I’ve had a lot of little brothers in the big brother program, and he’s one of them. But he’s really been coming on. His biggest thing is just trying to stay consistent. He struggles with some fatigue sometimes, where he’ll have a great play and then he’ll be tired, but he’s really came on just this week in practice. The bye week, that’s a big week for development of younger players, and he took a big step last week.”
Campbell agreed with that assessment of Harris, saying “his last two weeks of practice have been the best two weeks of practice he’s had since he’s been a Buckeye.”
“I think he’s on the right track. I think he’s going uphill,” Campbell said. “They might not be necessarily talking about him getting some reps, but I definitely think that he’s in that conversation for sure.”
For now, it’s likely that Victor and McLaurin will play most of the snaps at X, with Dixon and Hill also potentially being seeing increased playing time at their positions depending on how much McLaurin and Campbell move around. Olave should also see his first significant playing time with the first-team offense on Saturday, while C.J. Saunders will likely continue to be the secondary slot receiver in the Buckeyes’ four-receiver sets, as he is expected to play against Nebraska after leaving the Purdue game early with an injury of his own.
