Marvin Harrison Jr. has been inescapable this offseason.
First, it was the soon-debunked rumors that the superstar wideout might transfer to USC. Then despite not being draft-eligible until 2024, Harrison generated almost as much buzz at Ohio State pro day as any of the Buckeyes’ draft prospects just by catching uncontested passes during C.J. Stroud’s workout. During the draft itself, pundits on the ESPN broadcast couldn’t help but spend extensive time talking about No. 18 even though he still has another full season of college football to play.
Like window shopping at a Lamborghini dealership for the model that doesnt come out until next year.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) March 22, 2023
Text from an NFL scout at Ohio State pro-day today after watching Marvin Harrison Jr. run routes
Of course, all the praise is well-deserved.
Harrison didn’t win the Biletnikoff Award in 2022, but the unanimous All-American was considered by many to be the best wide receiver in college football, even in a year when four players at his position went on to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. Unpromoted in an interview at Ohio State’s coaches clinic last month, Urban Meyer called Harrison the best overall player in the sport last season. And although the Buckeyes have produced three first-round picks at the wide receiver position in the past two years – including reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson – Harrison is thought to be the best prospect of the bunch.
After catching 77 passes, many of them of the circus variety, for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns as just a true sophomore, Harrison will be one of the biggest stars in college football at the start of 2023. His reputation casts a long shadow over the rest of the position room at Ohio State, but while Harrison may get most of the attention, that could end up being beneficial for his top running mate.
Enter Emeka Egbuka.
For a player who caught only three fewer passes, racked up 57 fewer yards from scrimmage and finished with just two fewer total touchdowns than Harrison in 2022, Egbuka has only a fraction of the name recognition, nationally speaking. Harrison’s family lineage has plenty to do with that as well, and by missing the spring with an injury, Egbuka hasn’t been in the spotlight since the end of last season.
But that shouldn’t impact his production in 2023. If anything, Ohio State’s unresolved quarterback situation could be the biggest limiting factor on the seasons ahead for Harrison and Egbuka, but the pair of elite pass-catchers might just be so talented that it won’t matter. And while the former outshined the latter in 2022, don’t lose sight of the fact that Egbuka had an all-time top-five season for an Ohio State wideout by multiple metrics. Egbuka’s 74 receptions tied Curtis Samuel (2016) for fifth-most in a single season, and his 1,151 receiving yards also ranked fifth-best in Buckeye history.
Egbuka’s catches might not have been as flashy and his highs might not have been as high as Harrison’s. But statistically, his sophomore campaign was comparable to Marv. Harrison had seven 100-yard games to Egbuka’s six. Harrison caught at least five passes in 11 games, while Egbuka had only two fewer such performances. Egbuka had more catches and receiving yards than Harrison in all of Ohio State’s final three games of the season. Egbuka caught 17 passes for 237 yards in the Buckeyes’ two biggest contests of the year against Michigan and Georgia, in which Harrison hauled in 12 balls for 226 yards.
There’s no question who the top dog is in Brian Hartline’s wide receiver room, but Egbuka isn’t far behind. And the emphasis opposing defenses will have to place on slowing down Harrison should only aid the Steilacoom, Washington product in turning in a second straight stellar season in scarlet and gray.
Make no mistake, Egbuka is far from unheralded heading into his third season with the Buckeyes. The five-star high school recruit has been widely projected as a potential first-round 2024 NFL draft selection in many early mocks, and ESPN’s list of the top 10 wideouts in college football heading into the 2023 season placed Egbuka at No. 2 – right after Harrison.
Already a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award in just his second season, Egbuka’s versatility could be put to the test again in 2023. A playmaker on the inside, outside, in the run game and on punt returns, Egbuka’s ability to work in the slot was crucial in the wake of Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s hamstring injury a year ago. This spring, though, Ohio State experimented with Harrison in the slot, and the results were impressive. Given that the Buckeyes will have a new starter under center, finding ways to get the ball in the hands of their top offensive weapon closer to the line of scrimmage may be a wise move.
Should Ohio State continue utilizing Harrison over the middle by the start of the season, Egbuka could see more reps as an outside wide receiver than he did in 2022. Egbuka averaged 15.6 yards per catch a season ago, but perhaps that role would allow him to become a big-play threat downfield even more routinely as a junior.
Egbuka isn’t the only Buckeye wipeout hoping to make a splash alongside Harrison in 2023. After a career-best season in 2022, the forthcoming campaign will also be huge for Julian Fleming, who figures to begin the season as Ohio State’s third starting receiver. Xavier Johnson returned for another year in the program after showing glimpses of greatness in 2022. Freshman pass catcher Carnell Tate might have been the most buzzed-about Buckeye of all this spring, and five-star recruit Brandon Inniss could prove to be even better than him once he arrives on campus this summer.
But as much talent as Hartline has packed into his position room once again in 2023, don’t sleep on Egbuka, who seems to be flying under the radar as much as a returning 1,000-yard receiver could be heading into the summer – and to no fault of his own.
