There are few players in Ohio State's locker room right now that are trending upward faster than Binjimen Victor.
The sophomore wide receiver has seen his targets go up in almost every game this season, as he has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games for the Buckeyes, putting his career total at five through 11 games played.
His emergence has not been lost on many, especially Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who said on Tuesday's Big Ten coaches' teleconference that Victor's ability to high-point a football rivals that of former Buckeye greats.
"I have not had many like that. I remember Cris Carter years and years ago, and Mike Thomas was good at going up and getting the ball," Meyer said. "But this guy has just sheer size and wingspan and has great ball skills."
Victor's strength thus far in his career has been in the red zone. All five of his touchdowns have come at or inside of 25 yards, four of which have been of the jump-ball variety.
While Victor's specialty appears to be near the goal line, the Florida native said Tuesday that he can be a threat in other areas of the Ohio State passing game as well, specifically in an area the Buckeyes have struggled with in recent years.
"I think I can be a deep threat as well. Just getting the opportunity when the ball is in the air and try to go score," Victor said. "That is one of the aspects I want to work on and I think I can get that done as well."
Victor has already shown glimpses of being able to get behind a corner for a long ball. Victor caught a 46-yard pass from J.T. Barrett, which marked a career-long, against Rutgers on Sept. 30.
When asked about Victor on Tuesday, Barrett said the sophomore wide receiver already has a leg up on Thomas in terms of on-field production. Thomas, a member of Ohio State's 2012 recruiting class, played sparingly as a freshman before redshirting in 2013 and spending time on the scout team with Barrett. In 2014, however, Thomas emerged as Ohio State's leading receiver with 54 receptions. He was eventually selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.
In order to take the next step in his progression, Barrett said Victor, who is listed at 6-foot-4 but just 195 pounds, must become a more physical player.
"He is a taller guy, and I know Coach (Mickey Marotti) is pushing him in the weight room to make sure he is physical," Barrett said. "I think he is coming along well."
With Ohio State's current six-man rotation at wide receiver, Victor ranks fourth on the team in receptions with just 14, but is tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions. If he wants to match or surpass the production that Carter and Thomas brought to Ohio State, he will likely need to take his game up another level.
From 1984-86, Carter caught 168 passes for 2,725 yards and 27 scores while Thomas, who helped recruit Victor to Ohio State, caught 113 passes for 1,602 yards and 18 touchdowns from 2012-15.
Hold it down young solider!!! #shhhh @BinjimenVictor #zone6 "Business is always BOOMIN in Columbus" #Buckeyenation pic.twitter.com/5oeutwO6gc
— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) January 18, 2016
Not lacking confidence, Victor said Tuesday he believes he can live up to the praise that his head coach gave him when comparing his ability to the two Ohio State legends.
"Most definitely. Getting that kind of hype is amazing because those two guys are great and I look up to them and I watch them all the time," Victor said. "It's real cool that he said that."
Meyer added that while Victor is still adjusting to the expectations that the Ohio State coaching staff has set for him, the potential for the Florida native is sky-high.
"We have not even scratched the surface of his ability level. He has so much more left. We haven't seen near the ceiling for what he has," Meyer said. "He is a great young man who is learning to work all the time and go all the time, but he is a very talented guy."
