The wait for increased opportunities is over for multiple Buckeye wideouts.
Ohio State will be without Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in the Rose Bowl after both all-time great Buckeye pass-catchers opted out of the contest, which means the next crop of wide receivers will have a spotlight to prove they can carry the mantle of their predecessors heading into 2022.
The Buckeye offense will still have its leading receiver against Utah, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba enters the final game of the season with 80 catches and 1,259 receiving yards, but two starting spots on the outside have opened up as the future of the position room will begin taking shape on Saturday.
“These guys have been waiting for this opportunity,” Smith-Njigba said Monday at a media event at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. “I know they’re excited to step in that role, and I’m just happy for Chris and Garrett for taking that next step. The receiver room, we just want to make them proud and ball out for them, so it’s gonna be fun.”
Perhaps chief among the players that will step into larger roles are sophomore wide receiver Julian Fleming, who started in place of Wilson in a 26-17 win against Nebraska on Nov. 6, and true freshman Marvin Harrison Jr., whose 192 snaps through 12 games are only fewer than Olave, Wilson and Smith-Njigba at the position.
Fleming has fought through injuries since arriving at Ohio State, and the No. 1 receiver recruit in the class of 2020 still has yet to have a true breakout performance in a Buckeye uniform. Fleming was held out of four games entirely in 2021, and both being banged up and playing behind the likes of Olave and Wilson meant the Philadelphia native didn’t catch more than two passes in any single game during the regular season.
But the five-star prospect should get the start against the Utes nonetheless, just the third of his career, which will afford him the chance to build on a second season that has seen him haul in just seven passes for 51 yards and a score.
Harrison, a four-star prospect and top-100 recruit in the 2021 cycle, should be the other starter on the outside for the Buckeyes, having taken offensive snaps in all but one game so far this year. Harrison has just five catches and 68 yards to show for his first collegiate regular season, but he’s shown glimpses of run-after-catch ability and athletic playmaking on special teams that could translate into an impact performance on Saturday given more snaps.
Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, for one, is not worried about his outside options in the Rose Bowl and beyond, having had ample time to observe their abilities either on the practice field or in games over the past couple years.
“You’re gonna see explosive offense and those guys making plays,” Stroud said Monday. “Marvin and Julian are gonna step up and they’re gonna play real hard and they’re gonna make plays. It’s nothing new to them, they’ve been doing it since they were kids. So I don’t expect anything different.”
Buckeye head coach Ryan Day pointed to outgoing senior tight end Jeremy Ruckert as another pass-catching option that shouldn’t be overlooked as Ohio State adjusts to playing offense without Olave and Wilson in the Rose Bowl, and true freshman Emeka Egbuka could see plenty of snaps as well.
“Certainly Jaxon has had an unbelievable year. We need Jeremy Ruckert to step up,” Day said. “And then also on the outside, now you have Julian, you have Marvin, Emeka (Egbuka) and some of those younger guys that now are gonna have an opportunity to play.”
Smith-Njigba’s breakout campaign this season could slow the opportunities for Egbuka should both players remain in the slot position, but the five-star recruit and top-rated wideout in the 2021 class has no shortage of potential in his own right. With only 97 snaps logged at wideout during the regular season, Egbuka displayed his talents as the Buckeyes’ primary kickoff returner, ranking sixth in the country with an average of 32.1 yards per attempt.
Egbuka didn’t play in the final two games of the regular season, but Day said Monday that he expects the Washington native to be available in the Rose Bowl.
“I know Emeka will (step up) if his number’s called, or anybody,” Stroud said. “So I’m really excited for their opportunity to come out there and play.”
No matter how much five-star talent the Buckeyes have coming down the pipeline behind Olave and Wilson, the duo’s impact cannot be easily forgotten. The pair racked up a combined 135 catches, 1,994 yards and 25 touchdowns through the air in 2021, and have set a standard that will be difficult to equal.
Olave, who became the program’s all-time receiving touchdowns leader as a senior, even made the trip to Pasadena with Ohio State and has continued to practice with the team since the conclusion of the regular season.
“He’s been practicing with the team the whole bowl practices. He came over with us and he practiced today,” Day said. “He came back for a reason. Nothing but an unbelievable amount of respect for Chris and what he’s done here and everything he’s done for this program. He still wanted to be part of the team and everything like that.”
Come Saturday, though, neither Olave nor Wilson will be the focal point of the electric Ohio State pass attack any longer, and the Buckeyes will get an extended look at the next men up.
“The younger guys, they want an opportunity to go get some momentum going into next year ... We still have a bunch of guys that still want to play really well in this game,” Day said.
