With less than 1,000 students enrolled, Steilacoom High School, which sits less than an hour outside of Seattle, is not a big school, and its football program competes at the 2A level – the middle tier of the state's competition levels.
But its best player is no mid-tier talent.
Five-star recruit Emeka Egbuka, the nation's No. 1 receiver and No. 9 overall player nationally, is one of the 2021 recruiting class' best talents.
Egbuka committed to Ohio State on Friday, and we take a look at what the 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior brings to the Buckeyes on and off the field:
On the field
During his junior season in 2019 – the last time he played in a game after Washington pushed the 2020 high school football season to the spring – Egbuka showed up in the biggest games of the season.
Opposing coaches spent most of their time throughout the week scheming up ways to limit Egbuka, but they were unsuccessful. He finished the season with 83 catches for 1,607 yards receiving and 25 touchdowns, and he finished with 35 total scores (five rushing, three punt returns, two interception returns on eight total picks) en route to winning Washington's Gatorade Player of the Year award.
During that entire season, he showcased what made him the highest-priority receiver target for Ohio State, Oklahoma, Clemson, Washington and others.
Egbuka's route-running ability is unequaled by anyone in his class, and the dynamic receiver has no fear of contact, consistently running across the middle of the field to snag passes in traffic with the best set of hands of any receiver in the 2021 cycle.
With a 4.42 official time in the 40, he's got plenty of straight-line breakaway speed, combined with his lateral quickness (4.19 in the shuttle) and a 35.10-inch vertical that allows him to compete against cornerbacks for one-on-one balls.
All of those abilities make him a Swiss Army Knife. He will be able to line up at either of the outside spots or in the slot. During his recruitment, Hartline told Egbuka that he believes he can be a versatile receiver, used on the inside and outside, but that his primary role is likely to be in the slot.
“I think he’s told 'Mek that he’d play a lot of different areas, both (outside and in the slot),” Steilacoom head coach Colby Davies told Eleven Warriors this week. “But I think in the past Coach Hart said that primarily he would work out of the slot, but he also told him that he would play in a number of different places.”
What makes Egbuka such a special player, Davies says, is his versatility and his vast skill set, and that's why he hasn't been pegged down to one specific receiver spot yet even if the slot is the likeliest destination.
“Obviously, he’s gifted with a lot of physical ability,” said Davies, who compares Egbuka to Ohio State star receiver Chris Olave. “He can run, he can jump, he’s got good size, he’s strong. There’s no holes in his game. I think that’s what separates him from a lot of people. Not only does he have that physical ability, but he’s a complete player especially at this level. If there are any holes in his game at the next level, you can be sure that he’s going to work on those and make sure that he’s a complete player at that level.
“He just does everything really well. Everything stems from his work ethic. As far as his burst off the line of scrimmage, his release game, his ability to change direction, his route running, his understanding of defenses, his ball skills, run after the catch, it’s everything. There’s just not a weakness to his game.”
Off the field
In an interview with us last October, we asked Egbuka what makes Ohio State an attractive, legitimate option for his future. Instead of hitting us with a standard answer, he told us that one of his life goals is to eventually become a college coach.
That goal was born out of his experience coaching his 7-on-7 team the summer after his freshman year when he was sidelined with an injury, and he believes Ohio State is one of the programs in best position to help him achieve that goal when his playing career is over.
“They have a huge alumni network so there’s obviously a lot of connections and just being able to start out in a role like a (graduate assistant) like a lot of them have and get taken under the wing of someone like Coach Hartline – it could be really beneficial,” Egbuka said.
He later added: “I’ve had opportunities to coach younger guys, and just having the opportunity to influence peoples’ lives like that in a positive way and kind of help guide them on a path that I once was on when I was their age and help them figure it out – I really like that (aspect of coaching). I always knew I wanted to help people. But I never really thought about crossing football and that together. Just teaching people about my passion and helping them in that way I thought would be a really fun thing to do.”
Davies said: “(Hartline) loves being able to come out and recruit that kid. I think the one thing that stood out was the first time he came visited him is, yeah he’s a great athlete, but I think he enjoyed the fact that he gets to recruit a really strong kid, too. He's definitely got direction for Emeka.”
In the class
The rich get richer.
It can't be overstated how big of a get this is for Hartline, but that statement has already been made over and over in his three receivers classes after the embarrassment of riches Hartline's brought in (Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gee Scott Jr., Mookie Cooper in 2020; Jayden Ballard and Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2021; Caleb Burton in 2022) for a total of six receivers ranked in the top 100 overall.
“There are no holes in his game. I think that’s what separates him from a lot of people.”– Steilacoom head coach Colby Davies
Egbuka truly does add impact and star power here. Consider Fleming and Egbuka (or vice versa) as the George Clooney and Brad Pitt in this Ocean's Eleven-type All-Star ensemble cast the Buckeyes have put together. Smith-Njigba, I guess, would be the Matt Damon character in said scenario.
And now, though they still may not catch Alabama (314.18 points) for the Buckeyes' first-ever recruiting crown, they increase their chances with Egbuka's pledge that gives them a total of 310.36 points in their 21-man class.
