The question was simple, and the answer could not have possibly come as less of a surprise.
Ryan Watts, a second-year cornerback, was asked the following: Which one of his dozens of Ohio State teammates has really impressed him with how they’ve handled their offseason? A few guys popped into his mind right away. They just so happened to be the exact same guys whose names have had praise from players and coaches follow them since setting foot on campus in January.
“Marvin Harrison, a young guy – him and Emeka (Egbuka),” Watts said on Friday. “Since they first got here, you can always see them on the off days and throughout the summer in the indoor (facility) getting some extra work. They're some young guys, they're hungry, and they work hard. And Jayden (Ballard). All of them, they all come together every day – like, really every day – and get that extra work.”
Those three impressing those within the program shouldn’t come as a surprise. Not when they all came in as top-100 overall recruits, and not at this juncture after months of positive comments.
They’ve been on the minds of those within the Woody Hayes Athletic Center since shining in the spring. A year ago, Ryan Day said the then-freshman quartet of wideouts – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Julian Fleming, Gee Scott Jr. and Mookie Cooper – was “better than expected” as spring camp got underway, and he had similar thoughts on the Harrison-Egbuka-Ballard trio several months ago.
“I'm impressed with all the young guys,” Day said on April 15. “I think Marvin, Emeka and Jayden have all shown that they have the ability to play this season.”
Months later, that hasn’t changed.
“Marvin had a really good spring, had a really good summer. He looks great,” Day said last week. “But Emeka Egbuka, unbelievable. Had a really, really good spring. He had a really good summer – I mean, and excellent summer. So has Jayden Ballard. I think all of them are different. They're all different body types and styles. So in a really talented room of the receivers, I'm excited to see kind of what they look like the next couple weeks because I've been very, very impressed and think that they can have an impact early on.”
Of the three, Harrison was simultaneously the lowest-rated recruit and earliest to have players and coaches in Columbus buzzing. He’s jockeying for position in order to be Garrett Wilson’s backup at X-receiver.
Olave called him “the real deal” after a full spring camp with him on the roster.
“Marvin Harrison is a real route-runner, technician, all that,” Olave said in April. “He's a deep threat. He's a real good receiver.”
Last month, Day added: “Marv is, I mean, he's very, very impressive. So we'll see. There's only one football, but he's going to have his share. He's going to play this year. He's had a really good spring, he's going to have a good preseason. I know he is. He looks great. He's got an unbelievable work ethic. He's got a chance to be special.”
The recent comments about Egbuka from Day were as glowing as anybody has been about the most recent five-star receiver addition. Physically, he’s perhaps the largest wide receiver on the team despite being a true freshman, and it’s always a good sign when a head coach goes out of their way to single out a player. He’s projected to serve as Smith-Njigba’s backup in the slot this fall.
Ballard has had a comparatively quieter first eight months in Columbus. He’s, most likely, not going to be on the two-deep depth chart to open the season but rather will be the third-string Z-receiver behind Olave and Fleming. Part of that is due to the fact that he has more to learn than the others. Olave called him “really athletic” but “really raw.”
“Once he learns how to become a receiver, he's going to be really good,” Olave said.
The three of them arrived in Columbus with sky-high expectations, and as a group they’re already either meeting or exceeding them.
“I'm really proud of those guys and how they keep developing,” Olave said. “They work so hard. They keep their heads down. They don't really say much. Those are the type of guys that you want. They're going to be really good in the future.”
